Qatari Emirs: From Young Princes to Powerful Rulers

I have full confidence in him (Tamim). He is capable of taking responsibility. Have strong confidence. can shoulder the responsibility. He is able to complete his mission.

Qatar has a tradition that the eldest son of the king will be the successor. But despite having three brothers above him, Tamim managed to become the Amir. Eldest brother Mishal was never interested in state power. Maila Fahd's interest was more towards Islamic fundamentalism than Rajpath. Saila's brother Jassim also looked after Rajkaz for some time when his father was ill. However, later he also stopped showing interest in Rajpath. Then in 2003, Tamim was declared the successor. Tamim, who was considered successful in every role after becoming the heir, was given the responsibility of Amir (King) after 10 years at the age of 33.

A peaceful transfer of power is considered rare for the Gulf. Transfer of power rarely occurs without the death of the ruler (head of state). Hamad himself had bloodlessly usurped power from his father, the caliph, in 1995. For Tamim, the opportunity to get the responsibility of state power became rare. Breaking the tradition of handing over power due to age or political reasons, 61-year-old Sheikh Hamad voluntarily placed Crown Prince Tamim on the throne and handed over the throne. And, as 'Father Amir', he was ready to sit as a consultant.

The founder of Qatar is Sheikh Mohammed bin Al Thani (1850–1878). Tamim is the eighth king to rule Qatar from the Al Thani family. In 2013, Tamim not only took over the reins of Qatar's governance system, but the future of millions of migrant workers, including Nepalis, who came to Qatar for employment, was also linked to him. Of Qatar's total population of 2.7 million, only 3 million are Qataris, the rest are migrant workers.

The constitution has given executive powers to the Amir who can even make laws. After becoming Emir, Tamim became Supreme Commander of the Army, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Economic Affairs and Investment, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, and Chairman of the National Security Council. There were three main challenges before him, how to continue the strong legacy of his father, how to balance the Kshatriya power and how to expand Qatar, which has a strong influence on the world stage?

At that time there were two views about Tamim. Ekthari said, "He is a liberal king who listens to the demands of young Qataris." Those who want political reform. Are friendly and practical. If any problem arises, they are able to solve it. They can emerge in front of the world by maintaining close relations with America. Arkathari questioned his ability, "Tamim is more conservative in nature than Khalifa." It is doubtful what direction the country will take during his reign.

Qatar has 15 billion barrels of oil reserves and 13 percent of the world's natural gas. In the 1990s, after the completion of the first phase of gas production with an investment of 1.5 billion dollars, the economy began to transform Qatar, from building large projects to modernize Qatar, to the level of playing World Cup football. Within a short period of time, the metro rail was launched.

Tamim has never looked back after taking power. Money from the huge gas reserves developed to make it the world's richest country has not only fueled Qatar's further development, but has spread investment internationally. Success after success has made Qatar a "soft power house" in the international arena. Behind this success is the study done at Cerborne School and British Military Academy Sandhurst.

Ever since Tamim took over the throne, the issue of workers in Qatar began to be covered regularly in the international media. Nepali workers were at the center of that news. Workers who went to build stadiums and infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup were being portrayed as modern-day slaves. Economically powerful, one of the richest countries in the world, the world was shocked by the exploitation of workers in Qatar. Because, whatever infrastructure was developed in Qatar, the role of migrant workers was important. The starting point of which is considered to be oil refining which started in 1949.

At that time, Qatar did not have its own academic and skilled industrial workforce. had to rely entirely on foreign labour. Workers were brought in from the Indian subcontinent and other Arab countries. When the first census was taken in 1971, the population of Qatar was 111,113. Of which 45 thousand 39 were Qatari citizens and 66 thousand 94 were foreign workers. When Qatar's economy grew stronger from oil and gas, Qatar first came up with a comprehensive master plan to build Qatar in the 1970s. After that master plan came, the construction work started to accelerate. According to that master plan, the first generation Nepalis who visited Doha and came to Qatar for foreign employment are still found in Qatar's public service.

Nepalis who started meeting sporadically in the 80s had already exceeded 400,000 by 2013. In the last two decades alone, 1.7 million Nepalis have worked in Qatar. Most of them are low-paid unskilled and semi-skilled workers.

The international media particularly advocated reforming Qatar's kafala system (sponsorship system). Qatar continued to express its commitment to take action in favor of workers' interests. It was not enough for Qatar to declare its commitment, it had to show results. In November 2015, a policy was implemented to pay the bank within the first week of every month. This put an end to the practice of hand-to-hand cash. Bank accounts were opened for all the workers. To eliminate forced labor, Qatar is ready to reform its traditional laws and become a model in the Gulf. For that, it agreed to take technical assistance from the International Labor Organization (ILO) and open its office in Doha. Which was the subject that the world community wanted and sought. On 30 April 2018, the ILO office opened in Doha. Domestic workers were included in the Labor Act.

The most important reform was the abolition of the kafala system. In other words, workers can return to their home country whenever they want. Qatar has made arrangements for workers not to require an exit permit from January 16, 2020, when the labor law comes into force. Domestic workers will also be allowed to return home whenever they want. A provision was brought in that only five percent of the workers they had would need the employer's approval for an exit permit. For the first time in the Gulf, Qatar set a non-discriminatory salary scale on March 23, 2021, targeting domestic workers as well. Qatari Emir Tamim took the lead to improve these. "Ever since Qatar took over the hosting of the World Cup, we have had to face an unprecedented campaign," Tamim told the Sura Council, "the likes of which no host country has ever faced. At the beginning, we discussed this matter with good intentions and took some criticisms positively. The practical implementation of the law made for labor market reforms is still being questioned.

The Qatari people faced Tamim's greatest test during the blockade. From June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic relations with Qatar by demanding 13 points and imposed a blockade on sea, air and land routes. Qatar's land ties are only with Saudi Arabia. The country also demanded that "Qatar should end diplomatic relations with Iran, allow trade and commerce with Iran without interfering with the security of the Gulf Council (GCC), immediately remove the Turkish military base that is supposed to be placed in Qatar, and stop military exercises with Turkey." In addition, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt also demanded that they officially end their ties with and cease cooperation with the organization they have declared as terrorists in the future. They further demanded that 'organizations or individuals who have been declared terrorists by Saudi, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, America and other countries in Qatar should be handed over to their own countries and their assets should be frozen and Al Jazeera Network and its other organizations should be terminated'. This embargo was lifted by Saudi after three and a half years on the eve of the 41st meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Amir Tamim was successful in fighting against the embargo at the time, says former ambassador of Nepal to Qatar, Nardanath Bharadhwaj. The blockade was a very big challenge for Qatar. People believed that Amir's self-confidence and his personality are the country's security guard," he said, "that's why he got success. That blockade made Qatar more powerful.

Citizens and migrant workers who were suffering from the blockade were not allowed to lack food even for a single day. Qatar was completely dependent on Saudi Arabia for dairy products and food. Milk, food and vegetables were regularly imported from Turkey and Iran using sea and air routes. The food crisis was reduced to zero," said Bhardhwaj, the former ambassador of Nepal. "The price of milk that came by airplane was also the same as before. The movement of the vegetable market was normal. After a year, the fact that there is a blockade has become a situation to be forgotten. As a result, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt themselves announced that the blockade had been lifted. Analysts say that this has given Amir Tamim's political image a new height.

If you look at the map of West Asia, you can see two big countries, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Between these two rival countries lies the Persian Gulf. You have to zoom in a lot to see Qatar on the map with that same beach and Saudi Arabia on one side. However, this country, which is small in geography and population, is an important power for the world. From West Asia, Qatar has been playing the role of a mediator to settle the world's biggest disputes and conflicts. In this matter, Qatar has also succeeded in winning the trust of the world. Another important aspect is Qatar's status as a transit hub to Western countries and other parts of the world. In addition, Qatar is the choice of many for the world's largest and most important international conferences. Qatar's importance in the international community has increased since the start of the war between Palestinian militants Hamas and Israel on 7 October. Qatar is mediating between these two sides to bring about a ceasefire.

Understanding the influential role of Qatar in West Asia, President Ramchandra Paudel praised Amir Tamim for his initiative to restore peace in the region on Tuesday in a meeting at Sheetal Niwas. "Qatar has been playing an important role in establishing peace in West Asia under your leadership," Suresh Chalise, adviser to the president's foreign affairs, said, quoting President Paudel's statement, "your mediator is commendable for ending the conflict in that region."