Pakistani president to attend funeral of Saudi crown prince

President Asif Ali will attend funeral of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, who died of colon cancer on Saturday in New York, local TV channels reported on Tuesday. Prince Sultan, 86, had been a central figure in Saudi decision- making since becoming defence minister in 1962 and was made crown prince in 2005. The body of Sultan was flown back to Riyadh on Monday. Representatives of several countries will attend the funeral. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani had sent separate condolence messages over the demise of the Saudi crown prince and had described him as the friend of Pakistan. Pakistan's Army chief in a rare statement also condoled the death of Prince Sultan and said that Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz was a great friend of Pakistan and his services in boosting ties between armies of both the countries are highly commendable. Former President General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, former president Pervez Musharraf and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif also sent condolence messages. Several Pakistani political leaders are also expected to proceed to Saudi Arabia to attend the late Prince's funeral.