Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi
| Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi | |
|---|---|
| Sheikh | |
| Ruler of Sharjah | |
| Reign | May 1951 – 24 June 1965 |
| Predecessor | Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi II |
| Successor | Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi |
| Born | 1924 |
| Died | 9 November 1993 (aged 68–69) |
| Issue | Khalid bin Saqr al Qasimi Sultan bin Saqr al Qasimi (1947–) |
| House | Al Qasimi |
| Father | Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi II |
Saqr III bin Sultan Al Qasimi (1924 – 9 November 1993) was the ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from May 1951 to 24 June 1965.
Saqr was the eldest son of Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi II, who ruled 1924–51. After Sultan's death, Saqr became the ruler. Saqr was an Arab nationalist, which undermined the British Empire's control of the Trucial States. In 1964, he supported the opening of an Arab League office in Sharjah, after a visit by an Arab League delegation led by Abdul Khalek Hassouna, the Secretary-General at the time. The British viewed this move as a threat, which lead the British administration to seek support from the Al Qasimi family (which was forthcoming), to initiate the ouster of Saqr as the ruler of Sharjah.
In 1965, Terence Clark, deputy to Glencairn Balfour Paul, the British Political Agent in Dubai (Balfour-Paul himself having been taken ill), deposed Saqr in a bloodless palace coup. Saqr was then exiled to Bahrain and eventually Cairo. His cousin, Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi succeeded him.