India observes national mourning after former Qatar Emir Sheikh Hamad’s death
PM Modi calls Sheikh Hamad a "visionary leader" as India flies the national flag at half-mast to honour the former Qatar Emir and close friend of India
India declared a one-day national mourning on Monday (July 13) as a mark of respect for former Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani with Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing him as a “visionary leader”.
Sheikh Hamad, known as Father Emir of Qatar, passed away this morning at the age of 74. He ruled Qatar from 1995 to 2013, and is credited with ushering in socio-economic development in the energy-rich Gulf nation. He also played a key role in deepening India-Qatar relations.
PM Modi pays tribute
“We feel profound sadness at the death of the Father Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani,” PM Modi said on social media.Also read | Blast rips through Qatar gas terminal during reopening; 54 injured, 18 missing
“He was a visionary leader who guided Qatar to great levels of development and prosperity. We also remember him as a true friend whom I had the honour of meeting during my last visit to Qatar in February 2024,” he said. The prime minister extended his “sincerest condolences” to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and to the royal family and the Qatari people on the demise of Sheikh Hamad.
In 2013, Sheikh Hamad handed over power to his son Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the current Emir of Qatar.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the government declared one-day national mourning on Monday as a mark of respect for Sheikh Hamad.
“The national flag will be flown at half-mast on the day of mourning throughout India on all buildings where it is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment on the day,” it said in a statement.
Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju is expected to visit Qatar “shortly” to convey condolences on behalf of the government of India to the State of Qatar, it said.
A lasting diplomatic legacy
It is not uncommon for India to observe national mourning for foreign leaders. The country declared a one-day national mourning following the death of Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash in May 2024. India also observed a day of national mourning on December 17, 2023, after the death of the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
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Qatar has already announced a four-day-long public mourning for the late Father Emir.
Sheikh Hamad was a “great friend” of India and the number of Indians in Qatar grew substantially during his tenure as the Emir, people familiar with the ties between the two countries recalled. He visited India in 1999, 2005 and 2012. Besides official visits, he also paid a number of personal visits to India.
Kerala is also observing state mourning on Monday in line with the Union government's directions following the demise of the Father Emir of Qatar, officials said.
(With agency inputs)