KUALA PILAH, Sept 8 — Former Tunku Ampuan of Negeri Sembilan Tunku Ampuan Najihah Almarhum Tunku Besar Burhanuddin who died early this morning was laid to rest at the Seri Menanti Royal Mausoleum this afternoon.

Tunku Ampuan Najihah breathed her last at 6.53am today at the Cardiac Vascular Sentral Kuala Lumpur, at the age of 100.

The remains of Tunku Ampuan Najihah were buried next to her husband Tuanku Ja’afar Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman, who died in 2008.

Tuanku Jaafar and Tunku Ampuan Najihah were the country’s 10th Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong who reigned from 1994 to 1999.

The van carrying the remains of Tunku Ampuan Najihah arrived here from Kuala Lumpur at 1.20pm and the lying-in-state for the former Tunku Ampuan of Negeri Sembilan was held at the Istana Besar Seri Menanti for the royal families and leaders to pay their last respects.

Yang Dipertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir and Tunku Ampuan Besar Tuanku Aishah Rohani Tengku Besar Mahmud were in attendance.

Also present was Melaka Governor Tun Mohd Ali Rustam.

Prime Minister’s wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and state executive councillors were among those paying their last respects to Tunku Ampuan Najihah.

The funeral prayer was led by Deputy Mufti of Negeri Sembilan Amran Awaludin, right after Asar prayers.

The remains of the former Queen were then transported to the Seri Menanti Royal Mausoleum, about 200 metres from the palace, in a royal carriage pulled by the team from the Sendayan Air Base First Brigade.

Tunku Ampuan Najihah’s three sons, Tunku Datuk Seri Naquiyuddin, Tunku Tan Sri Imran and Tunku Datuk Seri Nadzaruddin also joined the solemn procession to the mausoleum, while a 16-gun salute was fired by Unit 41 Battery of the Royal Artillery Regiment.

The state is observing a one-day mourning period today over the demise of Tunku Ampuan Najihah. — Bernama