India declares three-day mourning for Zayed
(IANS)
4 November 2004
NEW DELHI — India yesterday declared a three-day official mourning from today as a mark of respect to the UAE President, His Highness Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan, who passed away in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Flags at all government buildings will fly at half-mast during this period," an official announcement said.
The announcement came as President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam left for Abu Dhabi to personally convey India’s condolences at the UAE ruler’s passing away to his bereaved family.
Kalam’s visit and the declaration of official mourning is seen here as a measure of the high esteem in which India held Shaikh Zayed, credited with building strong ties between the two countries.
Kalam, accompanied by Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, Prithviraj Chavan, minister of state in the prime minister’s office and senior officials, left for Abu Dhabi yesterday by a special aircraft. He will return today.
In a condolence message, Kalam said in the passing away of Shaikh Zayed, “the UAE has lost its father figure, the Arab world a great visionary and an elder statesman and India a highly cherished friend”.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh recalled Shaikh Zayed’s efforts in strengthening UAE’s educational system, environment protection and his contribution to progressive modernisation of society without compromising on traditional values.
His emphasis on consensus building and inclusive approach to issues were “exemplary and worthy of emulation”, Dr Singh said.
"Shaikh Zayed has been revered as a father figure in UAE, having forged an enduring unity among the seven emirates that constitute the UAE. His style of governance was rooted in Bedouin traditions and based on consensus and on an inclusive approach that endeared him to all section of the UAE.
“He combined tradition and modernism in shaping the development of UAE as an affluent country and at the same time ensuring political and social stability,” the external affairs ministry said in a tribute.
Officials referred to India’s traditionally close and friendly ties with the UAE, strengthened by 1.2 million Indians who live and work in that country.
They noted Shaikh Zayed often expressed his appreciation of the Indian community’s role in the economic development of his country.
Some 10,000 Indian companies, including 6,000 in the Dubai Free Trade Zone, have set up businesses in the UAE, the second largest destination for Indian exports in the region.
Shaikh Zayed visited India in 1991 and 1996 while Kalam paid a return visit in October last year.
Minister Ahamed described Shaikh Zayed as a “great friend of India”.