Web desk(National Times)- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday met Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and offered his condolences on the passing of his father and former emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
Sheikh Tamim received PM Shehbaz at Lusail Palace in Doha, where the latter extended his condolences on Sheikh Hamad’s demise, a statement released by the Qatari leader’s office said.
PM Shehbaz, who reached Qatar on a one-day visit earlier on Monday, is accompanied by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar are also accompanying them.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the premier was in Doha to “personally convey condolences on behalf of the people and government of Pakistan to the leadership and people of the state of Qatar on the passing away of Sheikh Hamad”.
In his meeting with Sheikh Tamim, PM Shehbaz “conveyed heartfelt condolences on the sad demise” of Sheikh Hamad and “paid rich tribute to the late Father Amir’s visionary leadership, statesmanship, and enduring contributions to Qatar’s remarkable transformation as well as to regional peace, stability, and development”, the PMO statement said.
It added that PM Shehbaz “recalled with deep appreciation the Father Amir’s warmth, kindness, and abiding affection for Pakistan, and his many memorable visits to the country over the years”.
“The prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast solidarity with the leadership and people of Qatar during this period of profound grief” and prayed for the highest ranks in paradise for Sheikh Hamad, the statement said.
It added that he also prayed for strength for the royal family and the Qatari nation to bear this “irreparable loss”.
According to the statement, Sheikh Tamim thanked PM Shehbaz, Nawaz, Dar and others part of Pakistan’s delegation “for the special gesture of travelling to Doha to personally offer condolences, describing it as a reflection of the deep-rooted fraternal bonds between the two brotherly countries and peoples”.
In an earlier 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.
An initial statement by 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 was to 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.
