Pakistan President Arif Alvi, head of state of the second most populous country in the commonwealth of former British colonies, hailed Queen Elizabeth II as a “great and beneficent ruler” following her death.
Her departure has left an immense vacuum, He said, “she would be remembered in golden words in the annals of world history”.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also sent his “heartfelt condolences”.
Queen Elizabeth twice visited Pakistan in 1961 and again 1997, as the country celebrated 50 years of independence from British colonial rule.
The United Kingdom is Pakistan’s largest European trade, investment and development partner, and Britain hosts one of the biggest Pakistani Diasporas in Europe, estimated at over 1.6 million.
