Israeli strike: Shehbaz to attend Doha summit

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Qatar to participate in the emergency Arab-Islamic summit being held in Doha on September 15.

The summit, cosponsored by Pakistan, has been convened in the wake of Israel's airstrikes on Doha and the escalating developments in Palestine - following Israeli attempts to occupy Gaza, expand settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and forcibly displace the Palestinians.

Earlier, Qatar said it would hold the emergency moot in light of the recent developments in the region. Foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said Monday's meeting would consider "a draft resolution on the Israeli attack on the state of Qatar" to be drafted on Sunday at a ministerial meeting.

Israel targeted Hamas leaders last Tuesday in strikes on the Qatari capital, killing five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer. The attack drew widespread international condemnation, including from Gulf monarchies allied with the United States, Israel's main backer.

Al-Ansari was quoted as saying by the official QNA news agency that the summit reflected "broad Arab and Islamic solidarity with the State of Qatar in the face of Israel's cowardly aggression  — and the categorical rejection of Israel's state terrorism".

Heads of states and governments and senior officials from the OIC member countries are expected to participate in the summit.

The summit will be preceded by the preparatory meeting of the Foreign Ministers on 14 September 2025. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar will participate in the preparatory session.

According to the Foreign Office, Pakistan accords high importance to its relations with State of Qatar and has strongly condemned Israeli aggression against Qatar and other regional states. In a gesture of solidarity and regional unity, the PM visited Doha on Sept 11 and met with Qatari leadership to express Pakistan's unwavering support for the security and sovereignty of Qatar.