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National Mourning in India Following Passing of Former Qatar Emir

Monday, July 13, 2026
5 min read
National Mourning in India Following Passing of Former Qatar Emir

Sunday was a day of national mourning in India. One day, they declared it, following the passing of former Qatar Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani the Father Amir of the State of Qatar.

The reaction from New Delhi came quickly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences right away. He called Sheikh Hamad a visionary leader , someone who really guided Qatar to new heights of development and prosperity. And he stressed that he remained a true friend of India.

Things shifted officially too. The Ministry of Home Affairs announced that the National Flag would be flown at half-mast across the country on all regular buildings. No official entertainment was planned for the day of mourning. It’s just a pause, you know? A quiet acknowledgment.

There was movement regarding representation. Apparently, Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju is expected to travel to Qatar soon. He’ll be conveying those condolences on behalf of the Government of India.

You have to remember what he left behind. Sheikh Hamad ruled from 1995 until 2013. Before that, there was a bit of upheaval; he assumed power in June 1995 after ousting his father in what was described as a bloodless coup while the elder was abroad.

He took something small, this Gulf state with maybe modest geopolitical influence, and completely turned it around. He transformed Qatar into one of those major regional players. It’s wild how that happened. Back then, they started leaning hard on their vast natural gas reserves some of the biggest in the world. LNG became central to everything.

And look at where that led. With heavy investments and some international backing, Qatar ended up among the wealthiest nations globally by GDP per capita. The population was around two million during his time, mostly expatriates there. It’s a different story than what you see on the news every day. A whole shift in influence, really.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

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