Pakistan condoles death of Oman’s Sultan Qaboos

Oman's newly sworn-in Sultan Haitham bin Tariq (R) and General Sultan bin Mohammed al Nomani carry the coffin of the late leader Sultan Qaboos to the royal family cemetary in the capital Muscat on Jan. 11, 2020. (AFP)

• Prime Minister Khan calls him a ‘visionary’ who transformed Oman into a ‘vibrant’ state
• Foreign Minister Qureshi fondly remembers the monarch as a ‘just and pious ruler’

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday expressed grief and sorrow over the demise of Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said who died on Friday.
“I extend our deepest condolences to people of Oman on the passing of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said,” Khan said in a Twitter post. “He was a visionary & transformed Oman into a vibrant, modern state. Oman has lost a beloved leader & Pakistan a close, trusted friend. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”
According to an official handout circulated by Pakistan’s foreign ministry in Islamabad on Saturday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also fondly remembered the 79-year-old ruler of Oman.
“Sultan Qaboos was widely recognized as a just and pious ruler,” he was quoted as saying.
The Pakistani foreign minister also expressed his heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Oman and prayed for the departed soul.
Sultan Qaboos was educated in Britain and spent two years at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst. He ruled his country for 49 years after staging a coup against his father in July 1970 and toppling his administration.
As the new ruler of Oman, Qaboos brought about significant administrative changes in his country and tried to build robust institutions to smoothly manage the business of the state.
According to Oman’s state television, the country’s former culture minister, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, has become the new ruler of the country.