PM Shehbaz reaches Qatar on one-day visit to condole death of ex-emir Sheikh Hamad

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday reached Qatar on a one-day visit to offer condolences on the passing of former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in an initial statement that PML-N President Nawaz Sharif was also accompanying the premier.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar are also accompanying the prime minister.

In a statement released after PM Shehbaz’s arrival at the Doha airport, the PMO said the Pakistani delegation was received by Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani.

It added that PM Shehbaz was scheduled to meet Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is also the son of late Sheikh Hamad, at Lusail Palace.

During the meeting, the prime minister would convey his condolences to the Qatari emir, the Qatari royal family and the people of Qatar, the statement said.

In its initial statement, the PMO said the prime minister’s visit to Qatar reflected the decades-long, enduring fraternal relations between the Qatari royal family, the Qatari people, and the government and people of Pakistan.

On Sunday, Qatar announced the death of its former emir, who led the country from 1995 to 2013. He was 74, according to an official government statement.

Sheikh Hamad was widely regarded as one of the principal architects of modern Qatar, having overseen a period of rapid economic growth and transformation during his tenure.

Subsequently, Pakistan announced that a day of mourning would be observed today.

The national flag will fly at half-mast across the country, according to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division and shared by the PMO on Sunday.

It is expected that the premier will also discuss the fresh exchange of attacks between the United States and Iran that brought all peace efforts of the mediators — Pakistan and Qatar — back to square one. ...