FM grieved over Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s death

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has expressed deep grief and sorrow over the sad demise of Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said-al-Said.

While expressing the condolence over the death of Sultan Qaboos of Oman with the Omani people and government, the foreign minister said that Sultan Qaboos was known as a just and noble-hearted ruler.

It is pertinent to mention here Middle East’s longest-serving ruler, Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said, died on Friday and the Gulf state’s high military council called on the ruling family to assemble for choosing a descendant. He was 79.

Qaboos bin Said had ruled since taking over in a bloodless coup in 1970 with the help of former colonial power Britain. Three days of official mourning have been announced, with flags flown at half-mast for 40 days on the demise of Qaboos.

Qaboos had been laid up for years and spent a week in Belgium undergoing medical treatment in early December.