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Pakistan joins Muslim states in Doha ahead of Arab-Islamic summit after Israeli strikes

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar (left), arrives in Doha, Qatar, on September 14, 2025, to lead Pakistan’s delegation to the Ministerial meeting ahead of the Emergency Arab Islamic Summit on Israel’s attack against Qatar. (MOFA Pakistan)
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Updated 14 September 2025
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Pakistan joins Muslim states in Doha ahead of Arab-Islamic summit after Israeli strikes

  • Israel carried out strikes targeting Hamas leaders in Doha earlier this week, inviting strong condemnation from Muslim states
  • Deputy PM Ishaq Dar to lead Pakistan delegation at preparatory meeting in Doha ahead of Arab-Islamic summit on Sept. 15
Updated 14 September 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Doha on Sunday ahead of the upcoming Arab-Islamic summit, the foreign ministry said, to express solidarity with Qatar in the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes that killed at least six earlier this week. 

Israel carried out airstrikes at a civilian neighborhood in Doha on Tuesday in its attempt to target Hamas leaders discussing a Gaza ceasefire proposal floated by the US. Qatar has been a key mediator in ceasefire and hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas, hosting the Palestinian group’s political bureau as part of the process.

The unprovoked strikes drew a sharp reaction from Pakistan, which condemned the Israeli military action. Pakistan’s foreign office said on Saturday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Qatar to participate in the summit being held in Doha on Sept. 15.

“Deputy Prime Minister / Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50, has arrived in Doha to lead Pakistan’s delegation to the Ministerial meeting ahead of the Emergency #ArabIslamicSummit on Israel’s attack against #Qatar,” the foreign office said. 

The ministry said Dar was received by Pakistan’s ambassador to Qatar, Pakistan’s envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and senior officials of the Qatari government upon his arrival in Doha. 

Pakistan’s foreign office said earlier this week that Islamabad “accords high importance to its relations with State of Qatar” and has “strongly condemned Israeli aggression against Qatar and other regional states.”

It added that Sharif’s visit underlines Pakistan’s “unwavering support for the security and sovereignty of Qatar and its commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East.”

Pakistan has also repeatedly condemned Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which has killed nearly 65,000 people, mostly women and children, since October 2023, and called for an immediate ceasefire and war-crimes accountability.

Pakistan does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and has called for a two-state solution to resolve the Middle East crisis. Pakistan supports an independent Palestinian state as per the aspirations of the Palestinian people, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital and according to the pre-1967 borders. 

Topics: Pakistan Qatar ties Arab-Islamic summit Arab-Islamic ministerial committee israel attack

Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026

Updated 01 March 2026
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Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026

  • Omer moved a Pakistani court against the so-called ‘period tax’ in Sept. 2025 which has since sparked a national debate
  • Taxes on sanitary pads in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to retail price, UNICEF says only around 12 percent women use such products
Updated 01 March 2026
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women’s rights activist Mahnoor Omer, who fought against taxes on menstrual products, has been named among the TIME magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026.

Omer’s efforts have been recognized alongside 16 activists, artists, athletes and businesswomen in the TIME’s Women of the Year 2026 list, including Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chloe Zhao.

Dissatisfied with the efforts to educate Pakistani girls about sexual violence, Omer founded the Noor Foundation at the age of 14 and held her own workshops with village girls about everything from climate change to menstruation, according to the TIME magazine.

Two years later, a conversation with a domestic worker about the price of pads made her realize that not everyone could afford these essentials. She moved a court against the so-called “period tax” in Sept. 2025 and the case has sparked a national debate on the subject, considered a taboo by many in Pakistan, since its first hearing late last year.

“A decade and one law degree after her interest in activism was sparked, Omer, now 25, is putting her passion and expertise to work in the name of gender equity,” TIME wrote about Omer on its website.

Taxes imposed on sanitary products in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to the retail price. UNICEF estimates just 12 percent of women in the country use commercially produced pads or tampons. The alternative, using cloth, risks health impacts including rashes and infections, and can make it impossible for girls to attend school while menstruating.

Omer’s suit, which awaits the government response, has sparked a national discussion. She says she spoke about menstruation to her father and male cousins, who thanked her for standing up for their daughters.
The 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in gender, peace, and security at the London School of Economics, sees this case as just the first of many.

“I’m not free until every woman is free,” she was quoted as saying by TIME. “I want to leave no stones unturned in terms of what I can do with the next few decades, as a lawyer for the women in my country and gender minorities in general.”

Topics: Mahnoor Omer

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