Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani in Doha on Tuesday and reaffirmed Pakistan’s “all-out support and solidarity” for the Gulf state after last week’s Israeli attack on its capital.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha, where leaders from the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) yesterday called for a review of ties with Israel following its deadly strike on Hamas members in the Qatari capital as they discussed a Gaza ceasefire proposal.
“While reaffirming Pakistan’s all-out support and solidarity with Qatar at this critical time, the prime minister termed Israel’s attack of September 9, a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a serious breach of international law,” read a press release issued today by the government-run Press Information Department (PID).
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir were also present in the “warm and cordial” meeting, the PID statement said.
“The prime minister stressed that Israel’s aggression in the Middle East must be stopped immediately, and unity within the ummah was vitally important, in the face of repeated Israeli provocations,” the press release said.
PM Shehbaz “deeply appreciated” Qatar’s decision to convene the emergency Arab-Islamic summit, which the Foreign Office said was co-sponsored by Pakistan.
The premier further recalled that at Qatar’s request, Pakistan had sought an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the “deteriorating situation in the Middle East”. Pakistan took centre stage at that summit as its envoy and Israeli ambassador traded barbs while major powers censured Tel Aviv over its attack on Doha.
The Qatari emir, as per the PID, expressed appreciation for PM Shehbaz’s participation in the Arab-Islamic summit as well as for his one-day visit to Doha last week to “express solidarity with Qatar at this difficult time”.
“Both leaders agreed to remain in close contact in view of the unfolding situation in the region,” the press release added.
PM Shehbaz reiterated Pakistan’s “strongest condemnation of the Israeli strike on a residential area in Doha on September 9, that led to the loss of precious lives and injured several others”. Hamas said that five of its members were killed in the attack, including the son of Hamas’s exiled Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya. A Qatari security official was also killed in the strike.
Recalling his last week’s meeting with the Qatari emir — which took place two days after the attack — the premier “emphasised, once again, that Pakistan and Qatar’s fraternal ties were historic, longstanding and abiding and they would grow stronger in the coming days”.
Meetings with other Mideast key players
Yesterday, on the sidelines of the Arab-Islamic summit, PM Shehbaz held a bilateral meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during which Dar and COAS Munir were also present.
The prime minister also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and appreciated the latter’s “proactive diplomacy at this difficult juncture”, the government said on X.
Both leaders termed the violation of Qatar’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity by Israel as reckless and a blatant violation of international law”.
In his meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, PM Shehbaz “lauded King Abdullah II’s steadfast leadership on the Palestinian cause”, the government’s official X account said.
“The two leaders underscored the urgency of Muslim unity in confronting Israel’s belligerent actions and agreed to continue close consultations to mobilise international support for peace and stability in the region,” it added.
Addressing the summit, PM Shehbaz had suggested the formation of a task force to counter Israeli aggression and expansionism, while terming its attack on Qatar a “hegemonic ambition on part of Israel to control the whole region”.
American Dollar Exchange Rate