ISLAMABAD: Anwaarul Haq Kakar will head to Kuwait tomorrow (Monday) on a one-day trip to offer condolences on the death of Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah’s, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Sunday.

Sheikh Nawaf had died on Saturday, aged 86, according to the royal court, just over three years after assuming power. The cause of his death was not immediately disclosed. He was admitted to a hospital late last month due to what the state news agency described at the time as an emergency health problem but said he was in a stable condition.

Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, 83, who has been Kuwait’s de facto ruler since 2021, when the frail emir handed over most of his duties, was named as Sheikh Nawaf’s successor. Kuwait has announced 40 days of mourning and a three-day closure of official departments.

The FO said Kakar would undertake the visit to “convey to the royal family, the government and the people of Kuwait the sympathies and condolences of the government and people of Pakistan” on Sheikh Nawaf’s death.

In a message on social media platform X on Saturday, Kakar had said that Pakistan stood in solidarity with the royal family and people of Kuwait at this moment of grief. He said the late emir would always be remembered for his contribution to strengthening Pakistan-Kuwait relations.

Sheikh Nawaf was laid to rest on Sunday at a private funeral attended by select relatives. Draped in a Kuwaiti flag, the coffin was carried into a Kuwait mosque for prayers ahead of a burial ceremony that was broadcast on state television.

The new emir Sheikh Meshal, who is expected to deliver his oath before parliament on Wednesday, attended the service. He will receive condolences on Monday and Tuesday from the wider public.

During Sunday’s burial ceremony, rows of relatives stood at Shiekh Nawaf’s final resting place and performed prayers. Sheikh Nawaf’s six decades in public service included stints as minister of defence, interior and labour. He was also deputy chief of the national guard and a governor.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 18 2023

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