Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif earlier today left for Riyadh to attend the late Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz’s funeral.
Aziz’s funeral prayers will be offered after Asr prayers at the Prince Turki Bin Abdul Aziz mosque in Riyadh.
The premier and President Mamnoon Hussain had expressed heartfelt condolences over the demise of the Saudi king and had termed it a big loss for the Ummah.
In a condolence message, PM Nawaz expressed grief and sorrow over the King’s demise, saying that being the custodian of the Holy Mosques he had a special place in the heart of every Pakistani.
Extending condolences to the Saudi royal family as well as the people of the Kingdom he said that ‘the whole Pakistani nation is with their Saudi brethren in this hour of grief’.
President Mamnoon also lauded the services of the late king for the betterment of the kingdom and the ummah as well.
Abdullah, said by the Saudi embassy in Washington to have been born in 1924, had ruled Saudi Arabia as king since 2005, but had run the country as de facto regent for a decade before that after his predecessor King Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke.
He was replaced by his half-brother Salman as the absolute ruler of the world’s top oil exporting country.
Salman, 79, had been defence minister and previously governor of the capital Riyadh. Another of the late monarch’s half-brothers, Prince Moqren, was named the new crown prince.
Earlier this month, PM Nawaz had visited the Saudi King to enquire after his health.
