Former Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani dies aged 74He took power in 1996 after staging a bloodless coup against his father, and went on to transform Qatar into the gas-rich power it is today. Just nowMiddle East

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former leader of Qatar, has died aged 74, the country’s government announced on Sunday.

“The Bureau of the Emir mourns the great loss to the nation of the late, may God have mercy on him,” a statement read.

Sheikh Hamad was one of the key masterminds behind modern Qatar and had taken power from his father in June 1995 in a bloodless coup.

He is credited with transforming its economy into the wealthy global powerhouse it is today, thanks to its huge gas reserves. But his reign also had controversies – including Qatar’s World Cup bid in 2010.

Funeral prayers will be held on Sunday evening before several days of public mourning across the country to mark his death.

Flags will be flown at half mast, while government offices and public institutions will be shut as a mark of respect.

King Charles and Queen Camilla paid tribute, saying Sheikh Hamad had “dedicated many years of distinguished service to Qatar”.

“His leadership, vision and commitment to the welfare of the Qatari people were widely admired, both within Qatar and around the world,” they added.

India declared a day of national mourning and said that all entertainment events would cancelled during the period.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said: “A visionary leader who led Qatar to great levels of development and prosperity.

“We remember him also as a true friend whom I had the honour of meeting during my last visit to Qatar in February 2024.”

When Sheikh Hamad took power 31 years ago Qatar was struggling for money with its oil reserves dwindling.

His coup – carried out while his father Sheikh Khalifa was abroad – changed the country forever.

It became a leading producer and exporter of liquefied natural gas, thanks to international partnerships and investments that had been brokered.

In 1996 Al Jazeera was launched there before becoming a big name in international broadcasting.

And Sheikh Hamad founded the Qatar Investment Authority which put money into businesses abroad, including Harrods and football team Paris Saint-Germain.

It would be football where he secured one of Qatar’s biggest – and controversial – triumphs.

The country was awarded the right to host the 2022 World Cup in 2010, despite allegations of corruption it was later cleared of.

It hired 30,000 foreign labourers just to build the stadiums. In 2021 it was reported some 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had died since it won the World Cup bid.

The Qatar government said not all the deaths recorded were of people working on World Cup-related projects and many had lived there a long time.

There was also criticism over Qatar’s human rights record and laws against same-sex relationships.

Sheikh Hamad voluntarily abdicated for his son in 2013.

Qatar was a British protectorate until 1971, with the Al Thani family as monarchs since 1851.