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ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said &quot;the Muslim world must move beyond words,&quot;&nbsp;hinting at joining forces if a Middle East coalition is formed to counter Israeli aggression. &quot;Pakistan has a very large, known, very effective army, very effective air force, very effective navy &hellip; We have proved that we can beat [our opponent] even conventionally, if challenged,&quot;&nbsp;Ishaq Dar said during an interview with Al Jazeera, when asked how Pakistan might respond if a united Middle Eastern body were formed to counter Israeli aggression.&nbsp;The interview, recorded ahead of the recently concluded Arab-Islamic summit, following Israel&rsquo;s strikes in Qatar and published late Monday night, featured Dar sharing his views about a possible Muslim coalition against Israel&rsquo;s aggression.&nbsp;Asked if the formation of a united body in the Middle East, away from the United Nations&#39; structure, to intervene in Gaza was an option, Dar said, &ldquo;vis-&agrave;-vis the UN Security Council, a mechanism could be chalked out.&rdquo;&nbsp;<div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; line-height: 2;" id="isPasted">He stated that the UNSC can impose severe economic sanctions.&nbsp;It can cause a &quot;very severe economic dent or pain,&quot; he added.</div>&nbsp;&ldquo;There has been some talk of a &lsquo;combined security force&rsquo; among Arab nations and the Arab League,&rdquo; Dar revealed. &ldquo;Why not? They should form a force, not for aggression, but for peacekeeping and for stopping the aggressor, the occupier, the one who doesn&rsquo;t listen,&rdquo; Dar said.&nbsp;Asked where the nuclear-powered Pakistan would stand in such a scenario, Dar said Pakistan&rsquo;s nuclear arsenal is intended only as a deterrent, not a weapon of first use.&nbsp;&nbsp;The UN has failed to maintain peace Earlier in the interview, Dar also addressed Israel&rsquo;s recent strike in Qatar that targeted Hamas leaders in Doha. He called the attack &ldquo;baseless&rdquo; and &ldquo;rogue,&rdquo; stressing that Qatar was mediating peace efforts alongside the US and Egypt at the time.&nbsp;He pointed to a broader pattern of Israel striking various Middle Eastern countries and ignoring international norms. &ldquo;International law, humanitarian rules, OIC and UN resolutions seem not to affect one country that repeatedly acts however it wants.&rdquo;&nbsp;Dar argued this underscores the urgent need for UN reform. &ldquo;The UN Security Council is supposed to maintain peace. But if its resolutions are being discarded by Israel in Gaza and Palestine, and by India in Kashmir, what do we expect from the multilateral system?&rdquo; &nbsp;&ldquo;This is the need of the hour,&rdquo; Dar emphasized, hinting at legal, diplomatic, and financial measures that Islamic countries may collectively consider.

Middle East

Pakistani foreign minister says that while the UNSC can impose serious economic sanctions, it has largely failed to deter aggressor nations like Israel.

Pakistan ready to act if Muslim coalition is formed against Israel: Dar

ISLAMABAD: Arab and Muslim leaders at an emergency summit in Doha on Monday issued a joint statement demanding all nations take legal, diplomatic, and economic measures to hold Israel accountable for its recent deadly airstrike on Hamas officials in Qatar.&nbsp;The statement urged countries to review their ties with Israel, suspend its United Nations (U.N.) membership, and initiate legal proceedings to prevent further Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.&nbsp;Pakistan PM urges Arab-Islamic task forcePakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, attending the summit, condemned Israel&rsquo;s strike as a dangerous escalation and called for regional unity. &ldquo;Let history record this great moment, when we, the leaders of the Arab-Islamic world, have chosen unity, dignity, and courage over silence and inaction,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Sharif emphasized stopping Israel&rsquo;s expansionist policies and proposed forming an Arab-Islamic task force to implement effective countermeasures. He also highlighted the critical role of peace mediators in wartime, stressing that the attack on Qatar undermines ceasefire efforts in Gaza.&nbsp;Turkiye calls for sanctions, military coordinationTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan labeled Israel&rsquo;s war a global threat and urged a firm response including sanctions and military cooperation. &ldquo;Israel&#39;s war has become a threat, not only to Gaza but the whole world,&rdquo; he warned.&nbsp;Erdoğan condemned Israeli policies of occupation and genocide and revealed T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;s halt of commercial ties with Israel, sacrificing $9.5 billion annually. He pledged to share T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;s military capabilities with Muslim nations, signaling readiness for collective defense.&nbsp;Iran denounces Israeli violationsIranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a forceful rebuke, accusing Israel of &ldquo;crossing all lines&rdquo; by violating Muslim countries&rsquo; sovereignty and dignity, including the Qatar strike.&nbsp;&ldquo;Any further crimes cannot be tolerated,&rdquo; Pezeshkian warned, calling for Israeli leaders to face justice for war crimes. He invoked Muslim unity, citing Prophet Muhammad&rsquo;s (PBUH) call for Muslims to stand &ldquo;as one, one body, one hand.&rdquo;&nbsp;Maldives voices regional solidarityMaldives President Mohamed Muizzu condemned the airstrike as an attack on the entire Muslim world. &ldquo;An attack on Qatar is an attack on us all,&rdquo; he declared.&nbsp;Muizzu criticized international double standards protecting Israel and called for its leaders to face justice for war crimes and crimes against humanity.&nbsp;Palestinian president urges firm global responsePalestinian President Mahmoud Rida Abbas decried Israel&rsquo;s far-right government as incapable of peace and security, calling for strong Arab-Muslim unity and urgent intervention by the U.S. and UN Security Council.&nbsp;He praised the Arab-Muslim states&rsquo; support for Palestine and mediation efforts by Egypt and Qatar to end the genocide, deliver humanitarian aid, and withdraw occupation forces.&nbsp;Qatar dubs Israel &lsquo;treacherous, cowardly&rsquo;Qatar&rsquo;s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sharply criticized Israel&rsquo;s actions, accusing it of deliberately undermining ceasefire negotiations. &ldquo;There is no room to deal with such a party that&rsquo;s cowardly and treacherous,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;The Emir&rsquo;s remarks highlight Qatar&rsquo;s frustration as a key mediator targeted in the attack and underscore the region&rsquo;s fragile peace efforts.&nbsp;U.S. assures support for Qatar amid tensionsWhile the summit condemned Israel&rsquo;s strike, the U.S. pledged support for Qatar&rsquo;s sovereignty. Secretary of State Marco Rubio planned to visit Doha, reaffirming Washington&rsquo;s commitment despite strained ties following the attack.&nbsp;The incident raises concerns over U.S. security guarantees in the Gulf, where major American military assets are located.&nbsp;The emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha marked a pivotal moment of regional unity demanding legal, diplomatic, and economic actions against Israel following the airstrike on Qatar. Strong speeches from leaders of Pakistan, T&uuml;rkiye, Iran, Maldives, Palestine, and Qatar reflected shared outrage and a call for justice, even as complex regional dynamics pose challenges to unified action.

Pakistan PM urges halting Israel’s expansion, proposes Arab-Islamic task force, warns Qatar strike undermines Gaza ceasefire efforts

Arab, Muslim leaders demand review of ties with Israel after Qatar airstrike

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar&nbsp;arrived in Doha on Sunday to attend the Arab-Islamic Foreign Ministers&rsquo; meeting, according to the ministry of foreign affairs. Soon after his arrival, he met his Egyptian counterpart, Foreign Minister Dr. Badr Abdelatty, on the sidelines of the preparatory foreign ministers&rsquo; meeting for the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha. They condemned the illegal Israeli strikes on Qatar and other Muslim nations, terming them blatant violations of sovereignty and international law. Both reaffirmed their unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and stressed the urgent need for unity across the Muslim Ummah. Dar to present Pakistan&rsquo;s stance &nbsp;The Arab-Islamic Foreign Ministers&rsquo; meeting will begin shortly, where OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha will deliver an address.&nbsp;Ishaq Dar will present Pakistan&rsquo;s stance on Israel&rsquo;s attacks on Qatar during the meeting.&nbsp;The meeting will review the situation following the recent Israeli attacks on Qatar.&nbsp;A draft resolution against Israeli aggression will be prepared in the session. The agenda for the upcoming Arab-Islamic Summit will be finalized during the meeting. PM Shehbaz to attend session on Monday&nbsp;Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the Arab-Islamic Summit scheduled for tomorrow (Monday, September 15).&nbsp;The meeting will finalize a strong response to the recent Israeli aggression, while the participating foreign ministers will also deliberate on a joint strategy to counter Israeli hostilities.&nbsp;Shehbaz and heads of countries from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member nations will attend the summit.&nbsp;&ldquo;The Summit has been convened in the wake of Israel&rsquo;s airstrikes on Doha and the escalating developments in Palestine,&rdquo; the foreign office said.&nbsp;&ldquo;Unlike previous emergency meetings from Muslim platforms that were often delayed, this one has been convened swiftly, reflecting the seriousness of the situation,&rdquo; Mansoor Jafer, Al-Arabiya Urdu chief, told Pakistan TV, terming Israel a &ldquo;bully state.&rdquo;&nbsp;He said Qatar&rsquo;s diplomatic support from Muslim countries and beyond highlights its legitimacy as a mediator and its growing weight in regional diplomacy.&nbsp;

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Doha on Sunday to attend the Arab-Islamic Foreign Ministers’ meeting, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Articles tagged with "Arab Islamic summit"

Pakistan ready to act if Muslim coalition is formed against Israel: Dar

Arab, Muslim leaders demand review of ties with Israel after Qatar airstrike

FM Dar arrives in Doha to attend Arab-Islamic ministerial meeting