[citation needed] He took the throne on 24 October 1960 after his father, Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani, abdicated in his favor.
[4] Sheikh Ahmad then assumed throne and became the emir through the final years of dependency, overseeing the nation's independence from Great Britain in 1971.
[citation needed] On the same day his reign began, his cousin Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani was appointed as the heir apparent and deputy ruler.
The group's formation was precipitated by public dissent with the ruling family's extravagant lifestyles and Sheikh Ahmed's long absences abroad since he ascended to the throne in 1960.
[5] Co-founded by a wealthy businessman and a tribal leader, the group soon gained popularity among Arab nationalists, individuals sympathetic to the Ba'ath Party and Qatari laborers.
Sheikh Ahmad's rule witnessed the growing economic activities in the country as the result of the discovery of a large number of oil fields in Qatar.
Though some reconciliation was achieved with his cousin, Sheikh Ahmad elected to remain in exile and died in London while getting treated for cancer on 25 November 1977.