Prime Minister Shehbaz travels to Qatar to offer condolences on death of former emir

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif left on Monday for a one-day visit to Qatar to offer condolences following the death of former Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The PMO said the prime minister will meet Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and convey his condolences to the ruler of Qatar, the royal family and the people of Qatar over the passing away of the late Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif accompanied Prime Minister Shehbaz on the visit. Deputy Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister Ishaq Dar along with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar are also part of the delegation, the PMO said.

In a statement, the PMO described the visit as a reflection of the “decades-long fraternal ties” between Pakistan and Qatar, as well as the close relationship between the Qatari royal family, the people of Qatar and the governments and people of the two countries.

The visit comes as Qatar observes a period of mourning following the death of its former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

The former emir of Qatar, who revolutionized the country from its Bedouin origins into a regional power, has died at the age of 74, the nation’s top government body Amiri Diwan said on Sunday.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani ruled Qatar from 1995 to 2013, before abdicating to his son Sheikh Tamim, the current leader of the gas-rich Gulf country.

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“The Amiri Diwan announced the death of His Holiness Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani on Sunday morning. May Allah have mercy on his soul and grant him the best reward for what he achieved for his homeland and his nation,” the Diwan said.

Sheikh Hamad had raised Qatar’s global profile through the development of the Al Jazeera television network, as well as its successful bid to host the 2022 Football World Cup.

The US ally state is small, with more than 2.5 million inhabitants, but it is the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas in the world, a global investment power and a great weight in diplomacy and international media in the Middle East.

Sheikh Hamad handed power to his son, the then crown prince, in June 2013, in a rare abdication by a Gulf Arab hereditary ruler, to try to ensure a smooth succession. He himself had overthrown his father in a bloodless coup in 1995.