ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, stressing Muslim unity as Qatar called for a collective regional response to an Israeli strike on its capital.
Sharif’s day-long trip came two days after Israeli warplanes bombed a residential building in the Qatari capital on Sept. 9, killing at least six people including a Qatari security guard. Israel said the raid targeted Hamas officials, but Qatar denounced it as a “criminal attack” and “flagrant violation” of international law.
Speaking to CNN on Wednesday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Israel had carried out “state terrorism” and “killed any hope” for hostage negotiations in Gaza. Qatar has been hosting Hamas’s political bureau and working with the United States and Egypt to mediate ceasefire and prisoner-exchange talks since the war erupted last October. Al Thani said Doha was now reassessing its role and consulting with regional partners on a collective response, with an upcoming Arab-Islamic summit in Doha expected to decide next steps.
“The [Pakistan] prime minister emphasized that Israel’s brazen aggression must be stopped and stressed that the Muslim ummah needs unity in the face of Israeli provocations,” Sharif’s office said in a statement after the talks with the Emir.
Calling the assault “an open violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and regional integrity,” Sharif assured Sheikh Tamim of Pakistan’s full support against what he described as an “unjustified provocation.”
Sharif praised Qatar’s “responsible and constructive” role in Gaza mediation and warned that Israel’s actions were clearly aimed at destabilizing the region and undermining diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.
The premier said Pakistan had joined Qatar in requesting an emergency UN Security Council meeting on the attack and welcomed Doha’s decision to host an extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit on Sept. 15, noting Islamabad’s readiness to co-sponsor and co-convene the gathering with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The planned summit comes as the Gaza war continues to drive regional instability.
More than 64,600 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military campaign in October 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities.
