Former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, who transformed Qatar’s fortunes, passes away; he had seized power in a coup.

A very big news is coming out from global politics and the Middle East. Former Emir (ruler) Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who transformed Qatar from a small unknown country to the world’s richest and modern country, has passed away. The news of his demise has sent a wave of mourning across the global corridors including the Gulf countries. Sheikh Hamad is considered the creator of modern Qatar, who with his vision and decisions not only took the country’s economy to new heights, but also made Qatar a major center of international diplomacy.

The historic coup of 1995 that changed the history of Qatar

The story of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani’s rise to power has been extremely dramatic and historic. In 1995, when his father was out of the country on a trip to Switzerland, Sheikh Hamad took power in Qatar through a bloodless coup. At that time the economic condition of Qatar was not as strong as it is today. After assuming power, he adopted a new and aggressive policy regarding the use of the country’s natural resources, which changed the entire face of the country in the coming decades.

Qatar became the richest country in the world on the basis of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

Sheikh Hamad’s biggest success was to identify and properly utilize Qatar’s vast natural gas reserves. Under his leadership, Qatar invested heavily in the production and export of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Within no time, Qatar became the world’s largest LNG exporter. This gas revolution made the per capita income of Qatar’s citizens the highest in the world and brought the small desert country into the ranks of the richest and most powerful countries in the world.

Launch of global media network Al Jazeera and dominance in diplomacy

Sheikh Hamad was not limited to just economic reforms, but he also gave Qatar a big identity on the global stage. In 1996, he founded the famous international news channel ‘Al Jazeera’, which changed the course of journalism in the Middle East and around the world. Along with this, he made Qatar’s airline ‘Qatar Airways’ among the best airlines in the world and also laid the foundation of big events like FIFA World Cup by investing in the world of sports. In 2013, he voluntarily handed over power to his son and current Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. With his death a major chapter in the history of the Middle East has ended.