Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on the sidelines of the Emergency Arab–Islamic Summit in Doha, convened following Israel’s recent strike on Qatar.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir were also present.
The PM strongly condemned the September 9 Israeli attack on a residential area in Doha, which killed and injured civilians. He described it as a blatant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law, and reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support and solidarity with Qatar, highlighting the historic and enduring fraternal ties between the two nations.
PM Shehbaz stressed that Israeli aggression in the Middle East must end immediately, underlining the need for unity within the Ummah and commending Qatar for convening the summit. He also recalled Pakistan’s request for an emergency United Nations Security Council session at Qatar’s behest.
The Emir thanked the Prime Minister for attending the summit and for his visit to Doha on September 12 to express solidarity.
Both leaders agreed to remain in close contact amid the evolving regional situation.
Arab-Islamic Summit
Leaders of Arab and Islamic states will warn that Israel’s attack on Qatar and other hostile acts threaten coexistence and regional efforts to normalise ties, according to a draft resolution set to be presented at an Arab-Islamic summit on Monday.
The summit, convened in Doha to show support for Qatar following the Israeli strike targeting leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas based in the Gulf state, opened on Sunday with a meeting of foreign ministers to review the draft resolution.
Read: Shehbaz calls for Islamic task force on Israel
The joint statement from the summit urged “all States to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people”, including “reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with it, and initiating legal proceedings against it”.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday strongly condemned Israel’s “reckless and provocative” attack on Doha, calling it a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law, and urged immediate global action to hold Israel accountable for war crimes.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s longstanding stance, he said the only just and lasting solution lay in the creation of an independent State of Palestine on pre-1967 borders with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital. “Let history record this moment, when we, the leaders of the Arab-Islamic world, have chosen unity, dignity, and courage over silence and inaction,” he concluded.
On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Shehbaz also held separate meetings with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir accompanying him.
Attack on Qatar
Hamas said six people were killed in an Israeli strike on the group’s compound in Doha on Tuesday, including its top negotiator’s son and a Qatari security officer.
The September 9 attack, which Hamas says killed five of its members but spared its leadership, has pushed US-allied Gulf states to close ranks, further straining ties between Israel and the Arab world.
Qatar condemned the attack, saying it had targeted residential buildings housing Hamas political bureau members.
Read more: Hamas confirms Israeli strike in Doha killed six
“The State of Qatar strongly condemns the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas in the Qatari capital, Doha,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said in a post on X.
US President Donald Trump has signalled unhappiness over the Israeli attack, saying it did not advance Israeli or US goals, calling Qatar a close ally working hard to broker peace.
He also said eliminating Hamas was “a worthy goal”. After the attack, he told Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani that “such a thing will not happen again on their soil”.
