ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is visiting Qatar today, Monday, to offer condolences to the country’s leadership following the death of former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, as Pakistan declared a national day of mourning in honor of the late ruler.
Sheikh Hamad, who served as Qatar’s emir from 1995 to 2013 before handing power to his son, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, is widely credited with transforming Qatar into a major regional and global diplomatic and economic power through rapid development and an activist foreign policy.
Qatar is one of Pakistan’s closest partners in the Gulf, hosting hundreds of thousands of Pakistani workers and maintaining close cooperation with Islamabad in energy, investment and regional diplomacy. Most recently, Doha and Islamabad have coordinated diplomatic efforts linked to regional stability, including engagement surrounding tensions between the United States and Iran.
“The prime minister will meet Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and offer condolences to the Emir, the Qatari royal family and the people of Qatar on the passing of the late former Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani,” Sharif’s office said in a statement, adding that the visit reflected the “decades-long fraternal relations” between Pakistan and Qatar.
Separately, Pakistan on Sunday declared July 13 national day of mourning “in expression of fraternal solidarity” with Qatar over Sheikh Hamad’s death.
A notification issued by the cabinet division said national flags would fly at half-mast across the country on Monday.
