PM Shehbaz arrives in Qatar to condole death of ex-Qatari emir

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday arrived in Qatar on a one-day visit, the PM Office stated.

Former prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar are also accompanying the premier.

Upon arrival at Doha Airport, 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.

The prime minister will proceed to the Lusail Palace, where he will meet Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. During the meeting, PM Shehbaz will convey his heartfelt condolences to the emir of Qatar, the Qatari royal family, and the people of Qatar on the demise of the former emir of Qatar, the late Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

A day ago, PM Shehbaz had announced the observance of a day of mourning in Pakistan on Monday, on the passing of Sheikh Hamad. A notification was issued by the Cabinet Division in this regard.

“This decision has been taken by the Government of Pakistan and its people as an expression of solidarity and condolences with the royal family, government, and people of Qatar. On the passing of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, a day of mourning will be observed across the country on Monday, July 13, 2026. The national flag will fly at half-mast throughout the country,” read the notification.

Qatar’s former emir, who revolutionised Qatar out of its Bedouin background to a ​regional powerhouse, has died at the age of 74, ‌the nation’s Amiri Diwan, its top government body, said on Sunday.

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

“The Amiri Diwan announced the death of HH the ​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 ​nation,” the Diwan said.

Traffic slows through Strait of Hormuz as Iran tensions flare

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

The US-allied state is small, with more than 2.5 million people, but is the world’s largest ​exporter of liquefied ​natural gas, ⁠a global investment powerhouse and heavy hitter in Middle East diplomacy and international media.

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