Asia15 July, 20263 min read
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram Delivers PM Tarique Rahman Condolences to Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim
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Speaker Hafiz Uddin Bir Bikram delivered PM Tarique Rahman's condolence message to Qatar's Emir. Delivery occurred during an official state condolence reception.
Condolences in Doha
Bangladesh Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram handed over Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s condolence message to Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani after the death of former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The condolence message was delivered during an official state condolence reception held at Lusail Emiri Palace on July 14, with Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy Humaiun Kobir and Bangladesh Ambassador to Qatar Mohammad Hazrat Ali Khan present.
The Bangladesh government declared July 15 a day of state mourning following the death of the former Emir, and national flags were flown at half-mast on Wednesday at all government, semi-government and autonomous institutions, educational institutions, private establishments and Bangladesh missions abroad. The Speaker arrived in Doha on Tuesday afternoon on a brief official visit to convey Bangladesh’s condolences, was received at Hamad International Airport by Bangladesh Ambassador Mohammad Hazrat Ali Khan and a representative of Qatar’s Emiri Diwan, and was scheduled to leave Qatar on Wednesday evening and return to Bangladesh on Thursday morning.
Road Naming Directive
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman directed authorities to name a suitable road in Dhaka after former Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who died on July 12, during a parliamentary discussion on a proposal moved by Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman. Rahman said, "I have already verbally instructed the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development to identify a suitable road through the Dhaka city corporations and name it after the late Emir," while thanking the opposition leader for raising the proposal.
The Business Standard reported that Bangladesh observed a half-day state mourning on 15 July with the national flag kept at half-mast, and that Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad traveled to Doha to convey condolences. The New Nation similarly said Rahman directed the relevant authorities to name a suitable road in Dhaka after Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and described the initiative as honoring contributions to strengthening Bangladesh-Qatar relations and supporting Bangladesh’s development journey.
Tributes and Bilateral Ties
In remarks tied to the parliamentary proposal, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said, "Qatar has supported Bangladesh in various ways in our development journey and continues to do so," and he added that Qatar provided employment opportunities for lakhs of Bangladeshis.
He also recalled Qatar’s support for Bangladeshi expatriates during regional tensions in the Middle East, saying, "Even when Qatar itself faced challenges during the tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, it looked after our expatriate workers like its own citizens and ensured their safety," while linking the statements to Bangladesh’s state mourning.
The United News of Bangladesh said the Speaker paid tribute to Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani as the architect of modern Qatar and highlighted his contribution to strengthening longstanding fraternal ties between Bangladesh and Qatar.
Al-Jazeera Net described the directive as coming while Tariq Rahman participated in a parliamentary session discussing the opposition bloc leader Dr. Shafiq Rahman’s proposal, and it said the Prime Minister had "already issued verbal instructions to the ministry concerned in this regard."