MAKKAH, June 17: Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, who passed away on Saturday, was laid to rest in Makkah’s Al Adl cemetery on Sunday.

King Abdullah, members of the royal family, thousands of Saudis and expatriates and a large number of dignitaries from around the world attended the funeral prayer in Masjid Al Haram.

King Abdullah had arrived in Makkah on Saturday evening to look into arrangements for the burial of his younger brother who had also served as interior minister for 37 years.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani accompanied by federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah and Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaque Parvez Kayani represented Pakistan at the funeral.

Other dignitaries who bade farewell to Prince Nayef included Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah of Kuwait, Abdelkader Bensalah, Speaker of Algeria’s National Council Speaker, President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, President Idriss Deby Itno of Chad, Sudanese Minister for Defence Abdulrahim Mohammed Hussein, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Chairman of the Supreme Military Council of Egypt and President Sharif Sheikh Mohammed of Somalia.

Meanwhile, a number of world leaders have sent condolences to Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his deep sorrow and grief and noted that the death of Prince Nayef was a great loss not only to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia but also to the Muslim world, particularly Pakistan as the late prince was a strong friend of the country, the Saudi Press Agency reported.