The death of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan, the President and founding father of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Tuesday (November 2) after protracted illness, as announced by the royal court on Abu Dhabi television, will be deeply mourned not only by the seven emirates constituting the unique group, but also by the international community as well as the entire Muslim world. His death followed reports that his health had deteriorated and he had not been seen in public recently.
Some four years ago, he had received a kidney transplant at a US clinic, where he was stated to have accidentally broken his hip bone, leaving him with a slight limp. Among his sufferings, mention was also made a chronic eye problem.
The reason behind the widespread gloom cast by his death should not be too far to seek. For one thing, Sheikh Zayed had admirably led the UAE ever since its formation in 1971, that is, in the wake of the end of the British rule over the Trucial States of which Abu Dhabi emirate was one. It will be recalled that Sheikh Zayed imaginatively set aside rivalries with neighbouring Dubai and the other five emirates to create a well-knit entity of the United Arab Emirates, gradually turning the desert land into an oil rich region.
Thereafter, putting the rich gift of oil to good use, he paved the way for UAE's transformation into a forward looking modern state, while catching up with the advanced countries in the sphere of development and administration. Needless to point out, Sheikh Zayed's zeal for economic development and his generosity earned UAE a place of its own in the Arab world, helping many other Muslim countries also, whenever the need arose.
In so far as Pakistan is concerned, as pointed out by President General Pervez Musharraf in his condolence message, Sheikh Zayed was a great friend of this country and it is a debt of gratitude Pakistanis are paying in mourning his sad demise and praying Almighty Allah to rest his soul in eternal peace.
Certainly, he played a key role in strengthening Pakistan-UAE relations, while also making a tremendous contribution to the improvement of the social sector in this country.
Since he was recognised as an outstanding statesman not only by the Islamic countries but also by the international community, the vacuum created by his death will certainly be difficult to fill. A great philanthropist, who practically adhered to true Islamic values, as Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said in his message from Bhutan, Sheikh Zayed's death has deprived Pakistan of a great friend, who had funded many of its welfare and development projects.
It goes without saying that his services to the Muslim Ummah being invaluable his death at this crucial juncture will be long mourned by the entire Muslims world as an irreparable loss, beckoning their leaders to emulate his sense of devotion to unity and purposeful development, keeping pace with the fast advancing world.