President, PM condole grand mufti's death

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday expressed deep sorrow and grief over the demise of Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh, calling it a great loss for the entire Muslim Ummah.

In a statement, the president said that Sheikh Abdulaziz's religious services and scholarly guidance would always be remembered.

The president expressed his heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the family of the deceased, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the people of Saudi Arabia.

He also prayed that Almighty grant the deceased a high place in the hereafter.

In a separate statement, the premier while paying tribute to the late Grand Mufti said the deceased was a great religious scholar who spent his entire life promoting the Quran and Sunnah, explaining the Sharia and guiding the Ummah.

"His efforts and scholarly insight for the unity of the Muslim Ummah will always be remembered. The Pakistani people and government share equally in the grief of the people of the brotherly country of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi leadership," he said.

The prime minister added that the services of the deceased were a bright chapter in the religious and scholarly tradition, and future generations would continue to receive guidance from the scholarly legacy he left behind.

He also expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the entire Saudi leadership and people.

"May Almighty grant the deceased a high place in Jannah and accept his religious services," the prime minister prayed.