ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister has assured the Qatari leadership of his country’s full solidarity and support in the wake of Israel’s unprecedented air strike on Doha, which left six people dead.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made the remarks during a meeting with the Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, according to a statement issued by the PM House on Thursday.
“The Prime Minister conveyed Pakistan’s strongest condemnation of the Israeli attack on Doha on September 9, terming it a blatant and flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said.
Israel’s raid on Tuesday resulted in the deaths of at least six individuals, including a 22-year-old Qatari security guard, marking the first direct Israeli strike on a Gulf nation.
Israel claimed the operation targeted Hamas leaders based in Doha; however, the group confirmed that its negotiators survived the attack.
Qatar has played a pivotal role as a mediator in ceasefire and hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas, hosting the group’s political bureau and maintaining close coordination with both Washington and Cairo.
Serious breach of international law
Prime Minister Sharif, during the meeting, said that the leadership and people of Pakistan were deeply disturbed by this attack against the brotherly State of Qatar, which constituted a serious breach of international law.
While reaffirming the historic, fraternal bonds between Pakistan and Qatar, the Prime Minister stated that the two countries had proudly stood with each other through thick and thin.
“It was in this spirit of brotherhood that Pakistan stood shoulder to shoulder with the Amir, the Royal Family of Qatar, and with the brotherly people of Qatar during this challenging time,” the PM House statement noted.
He assured the Qatari leadership of Pakistan’s full solidarity and support in the face of this unjustified provocation.
Dastardly and heinous attack
The Prime Minister also conveyed deep sympathies on the loss of precious lives in this dastardly and heinous attack by Israel and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
He stressed that Israel’s brazen aggression in the Middle East must be stopped, and the Ummah needed unity among its ranks in the face of Israeli provocations.
Praises Qatar’s role in Gaza
The Prime Minister commended Qatar’s responsible, constructive, and mediatory role in efforts to bring peace in Gaza, and stressed that such acts of Israeli aggression were clearly meant to undermine regional stability and threaten ongoing diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.
The Prime Minister noted that, at Qatar’s request, Pakistan had called for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to address recent developments in the Middle East.
He also welcomed Qatar’s decision to host an Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit on September 15, and confirmed that Pakistan had expressed its readiness to co-sponsor and co-convene the Summit under the auspices of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
In addition, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the Amir of Qatar for the country’s unwavering support for Pakistan during its recent standoff with India.
Qatar acknowledges Pakistan’s gesture
The Amir thanked the Prime Minister for his visit to Doha, acknowledging it as a thoughtful gesture of solidarity at a critical time.
Both leaders agreed to maintain close coordination in advancing regional peace, upholding international law, and supporting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
The visit served to reaffirm the deep-rooted fraternal ties between Pakistan and Qatar, as well as their shared commitment to peace, stability, and cooperation in the region.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Doha on Thursday for a one-day visit aimed at expressing solidarity with Qatar following Israel’s unprecedented air strikes on the Gulf nation’s capital.
Sharif was received at Doha airport by Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani.
He is leading a high-level delegation that includes Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi.
In a late-night phone call ahead of the visit, Sharif reassured Amir of Qatar of Pakistan’s “deepest sympathies and solidarity,” while calling for unity within the Muslim world “at this critical moment.”
The Amir thanked the Pakistani leader, describing the gesture as a reflection of the “longstanding brotherly ties” between the two nations.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry separately described the Israeli strike as “reckless, highly provocative, and an open violation of the UN Charter.
