Shah Mehmood Qureshi meets Oman new ruler Sultan Haitham

MUSCAT: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has met the new ruler of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, and condoled the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said on behalf of the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who is on a visit to Oman, met Sultan Haitham and condoled over the demise of one of the Middle East’s longest-serving rulers, Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

The foreign minister said Pakistani government and nation are grieving over the death of Sultan Qaboos, who was known as a peace-loving and wise leader. During his era, Oman achieved exemplary development and Pakistan lost a sincere friend after Sultan Qaboos’ demise.

Qureshi also prayed for the peace of departed soul of the late Oman ruler.

Read: Sultan Qaboos ushered in Oman renaissance, quiet diplomacy

The foreign minister arrived in Oman on Monday to condole over the death of the country’s ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

He was welcomed at the Muscat International Airport by country’s ambassador to Oman and officials of the Omani foreign affairs. The foreign minister was scheduled to meet the members of the royal family on Tuesday and condole with them over the demise of Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who died late on Friday, transformed Oman during his 49-year reign from a poverty-stricken country torn by dissent into a prosperous state and an internationally trusted mediator for some of the region’s thorniest issues.

Read: ‘Oman lost a beloved leader, Pakistan a close friend’: PM condoles Sultan Qaboos’s death

He became sultan in July 1970 after deposing his father in a palace coup with the aim of ending the country’s isolation and using its oil revenue for modernisation and development.

Qaboos, 79, never publicly named a successor but secretly recorded his choice in a sealed letter should the royal family disagree on the succession line. “I have already written down two names, in descending order, and put them in sealed envelopes in two different regions,” he said in a 1997 interview.

Read: Sultan Qaboos of Oman dies at 79: state media

State television said his cousin Haitham bin Tariq al-Said was named sultan on Saturday after the high military council called on the ruling family council to choose a successor. The family had followed Qaboos’ written recommendation, believing in “his wisdom and vision”, a military council statement said.

State media did not disclose the cause of death. Qaboos, who has dominated decision making in the Gulf state for decades, had been ailing for years and was in Belgium in December for treatment.