Web Desk

<p id="isPasted">ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday condemned an Israeli airstrike on Doha as a &ldquo;flagrant violation&rdquo; of Qatar&rsquo;s sovereignty and called for urgent Muslim unity in response to what he described as a growing pattern of Israeli provocations in the region.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Sharif made the remarks during a day-long visit to Qatar, where he met Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in the wake of a deadly Israeli raid on a residential building in the Qatari capital on September 9. The strike, which Israel claims targeted Hamas operatives, killed at least six people &mdash; including a Qatari security official &mdash; and has drawn international condemnation.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;The prime minister emphasized that Israel&rsquo;s brazen aggression must be stopped and stressed that the Muslim ummah needs unity in the face of Israeli provocations,&rdquo; read a statement from Sharif&rsquo;s office following his meeting with the Qatari leader.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Calling the attack an &ldquo;open violation of Qatar&rsquo;s sovereignty and regional integrity,&rdquo; Sharif pledged Pakistan&rsquo;s full support to Doha and praised its &ldquo;responsible and constructive&rdquo; role in efforts to mediate a ceasefire and hostage negotiations in Gaza.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Qatar, which has hosted Hamas&rsquo;s political leadership and played a central role in regional diplomacy, described the Israeli strike as a &ldquo;criminal attack&rdquo; and an act of &ldquo;state terrorism.&rdquo; Speaking to CNN on Wednesday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the assault had &ldquo;killed any hope&rdquo; of reviving hostage negotiations and confirmed that Doha was reassessing its role as mediator.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Sharif said Pakistan had joined Qatar in requesting an emergency session of the UN Security Council over the incident. He also welcomed Doha&rsquo;s decision to host an extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit on September 15 and offered Pakistan&rsquo;s readiness to co-sponsor and co-convene the meeting through the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The summit is expected to chart a collective response to Israeli actions, which Sharif warned were aimed at destabilizing the region and sabotaging humanitarian diplomacy.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The ongoing war in Gaza, triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023, has fueled widespread regional unrest. According to Palestinian health officials, over 64,600 people have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began.</p>

Politics

PM Shehbaz Sharif backs Qatar’s regional response, pledges full support as Gulf state mulls retaliation over deadly air raid

Pakistan PM slams Israeli strike on Doha as ‘state terrorism,’ calls for Muslim unity at Arab-Islamic Summit

<p id="isPasted">ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif left for Qatar on Thursday to show support after Israel&rsquo;s airstrike on Doha, which has drawn widespread condemnation across the Muslim world.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>According to the Foreign Office, the visit is a gesture of regional unity and support in the wake of a &ldquo;brazen violation of Qatar&rsquo;s sovereignty.&rdquo;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The prime minister&nbsp;is scheduled to meet with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to convey Pakistan&rsquo;s &ldquo;deepest sympathies and support&rdquo; following the attack, which targeted residential buildings reportedly housing Hamas political leaders.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;The visit underscores Pakistan&rsquo;s unwavering support for the security and sovereignty of Qatar, and its continued commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East,&rdquo; the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.</p><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">First Israeli strike on Qatari soil</span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Tuesday&rsquo;s airstrike, the first known Israeli military operation on Qatari soil, struck residential areas in Doha&rsquo;s West Bay district. Although top Hamas leaders reportedly survived, five individuals were killed, including the son of senior Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya.</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Qatar&rsquo;s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, condemned the strike as a &ldquo;cowardly assault&rdquo; and a form of &ldquo;state terrorism.&rdquo; He warned of &ldquo;dangerous consequences&rdquo; and pledged to pursue legal action against Israel through international forums.</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&ldquo;This was a gross violation of our sovereignty and an escalation that threatens the entire region,&rdquo; the Qatari premier said. &ldquo;We reserve the right to respond through all available means.&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pakistan&rsquo;s response and UNSC push</span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Pakistan, alongside Algeria and Somalia, has formally requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to address the crisis.</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Foreign Minister<span style="display: inline-block;"><a href="https://x.com/MIshaqDar50/status/1965772015945531816">&nbsp;Ishaq Dar said</a></span> the attack is a &quot;grave matter&quot; that threatens not just Qatar, but broader regional security.</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">PM Shehbaz earlier condemned the airstrike as a &ldquo;dangerous provocation&rdquo; and a &ldquo;flagrant violation of sovereignty.&rdquo; In a call with the Emir of Qatar, he conveyed Pakistan&rsquo;s deepest sympathies to the Qatari leadership and the royal family.</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">In a statement issued by the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office, Shehbaz called the bombing &ldquo;a dastardly act that reflects the mindset of Israeli leadership, willing to go to any length in the blind pursuit of nefarious goals.&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Widespread Arab and Muslim condemnation</span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">The Israeli strike on Qatar has united much of the Arab and Muslim world in condemnation. Several governments denounced the attack as a violation of international law and an affront to Qatari sovereignty:</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Saudi Arabia condemned the strike as &ldquo;brutal aggression&rdquo; and warned of &ldquo;severe regional consequences.&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">The United Arab Emirates described it as a &ldquo;treacherous act&rdquo; and reaffirmed Gulf unity, saying &quot;Gulf security is indivisible.&quot;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Jordan called the attack a &ldquo;blatant breach of international law&rdquo; and an &ldquo;unacceptable provocation.&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Kuwait denounced it as &ldquo;violent aggression&rdquo; and pledged full support to Qatar.</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Iran warned that such acts could destabilize the entire Persian Gulf, labeling it a &ldquo;gross violation of international norms.&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Iraq termed the attack &ldquo;cowardly,&rdquo; calling for regional unity in support of Qatar.</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Turkey accused Israel of &ldquo;state-sponsored terrorism&rdquo; and of sabotaging peace talks.</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Egypt said the strike undermines regional peace efforts and is a dangerous escalation.</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Houthis in Yemen warned that similar strikes could spread across the region if not countered.</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Additionally, Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, Sudan, Oman, Mauritania, Algeria, and Libya issued a joint statement condemning the attack as a &ldquo;dangerous violation&rdquo; and pledging solidarity with Qatar.</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Palestinian response</span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Hamas and the Palestinian Authority both condemned the airstrike, calling it a &ldquo;criminal act&rdquo; aimed at derailing ceasefire efforts. Hamas stated that targeting its political negotiators was a direct violation of diplomatic norms and an intentional move to sabotage ongoing mediation.</div>

PM Shehbaz Sharif, Qatar, Israeli strikes in Doha

Security

The visit comes as the Muslim world condemns the attack as a violation of Qatar's sovereignty and a threat to regional peace.

Articles tagged with "PM Shehbaz in Qatar"

Pakistan PM slams Israeli strike on Doha as ‘state terrorism,’ calls for Muslim unity at Arab-Islamic Summit

PM Shehbaz visits Qatar amid regional outrage over Israeli airstrike on Doha