Aga Khan, Britain's counterweight to the Ottoman Hegemony

Long, long ago in the deserts of Egypt, emerged a new Islamic sect that experienced a mortal threat from mainstream Islam right since inception. The sect invented the art of assassination as a defence strategy, participated in the crusades, and eventually entered India as an ally of the British. Aga Khan, the leader of this sect was once among the most influential figures in the Indian subcontinent and Europe. So influential, the Germans made bids for his life in the thick of the First World War. Have you ever wondered that how did the leader of one of the smallest Islamic sects end up with so much power and clout?