New Delhi: Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar’s former emir and the architect of the country’s modern transformation, died in Doha on Sunday at the age of 74, Qatar’s Amiri Diwan announced. The cause of death was not disclosed. Qatar declared four days of national mourning, suspending government work and lowering flags to half-mast, with funeral prayers held that evening at the Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque in Doha.
Sheikh Hamad took power in June 1995 in a bloodless coup while his father was abroad. He ruled for 18 years before voluntarily handing the throne to his son, Sheikh Tamim, in 2013.
When he took power, Qatar was a small state with declining oil revenue. By 2013, it had become the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and among the richest countries per capita.
He founded the Qatar Investment Authority, which took stakes in Heathrow Airport, Harrods, Barclays, Volkswagen and Paris Saint-Germain. In 1996, he backed the launch of Al Jazeera, now one of the Arab world’s most influential broadcasters. His tenure also saw Qatar’s first constitution, in 2004, and the introduction of municipal elections.
He positioned Qatar as a global mediator, hosting talks involving Palestinian factions, Lebanon, Sudan, Afghanistan, Hamas, the Taliban and Western governments. He was also a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, visiting Gaza in 1999 and 2012.
World leaders including the UAE’s Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and King Charles III offered condolences. India announced a day of mourning on Monday. The prime minister, Narendra Modi, called Sheikh Hamad a visionary leader and a true friend, recalling meeting him in Qatar in February 2024. The minister of parliamentary affairs and minority affairs, Kiren Rijiju, is expected to travel to Qatar to convey condolences.
Around 800,000 to 900,000 Indians live and work in Qatar, one of the largest Indian expatriate communities anywhere. Qatar is also a major supplier of LNG to India, a relationship built on the energy and trade foundations that Sheikh Hamad’s rule established.