JEDDAH, 10 May 2006 — Sheikh Muhammad ibn Uthman Al-Mulhem, who was Saudi Arabia’s first ambassador to India, died of natural causes on Monday at the age of 105.
Al-Mulhem, who was a friend of India’s independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, was an unaccredited ambassador before India won freedom. He was later officially made the ambassador.
With his relations spanning over a period of 65 years in his capacity as an envoy and a businessman, Al-Mulhem earned himself great respect in the Indian subcontinent and the Gulf region.
His house in New Delhi was known as a home away from home for all the Arabs, particularly Saudis, visiting India for business, tourist or health care purposes. He founded the Ahsa-India Commercial Co., the first Saudi-owned business to operate in India.
Al-Mulhem is survived by 21 children and 109 grandchildren, Al-Jazirah daily reported.
