Islamabad (TDI): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reached Doha on Monday to take part in an emergency Arab-Islamic summit that will deliberate a draft resolution in response to Israel’s recent strike on Qatar.
Leaders from nearly 50 countries are expected to attend the high-level gathering, being convened under the umbrella of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Accompanied by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi, the premier left Lahore earlier today for the one-day visit, according to the ruling PML-N. “Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Qatar and strongly condemns Israel’s aggression against Qatar and other states in the region,” the party said in a statement on X.
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Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar is already in Doha, where he joined Sunday’s meeting of OIC foreign ministers that prepared the draft resolution to be presented at the summit. Pakistan is among the co-sponsors of the text.
Shehbaz had also travelled to Doha on September 11 to meet Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and express solidarity after the September 9 Israeli strike that killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer. The attack, widely denounced by world powers, came as Qatar was mediating ceasefire talks on Gaza.
Today’s conference will also examine the broader situation in Palestine, including Israel’s bid to occupy Gaza, settlement expansion in the West Bank, and the displacement of Palestinians, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Office. Observers believe the summit is designed to send a united message to Israel, with the attack already prompting Gulf Arab allies of the US to close ranks, straining ties between Israel and the UAE.
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Among those confirmed for today’s session are Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Pezeshkian called on Muslim countries to cut ties with Israel, saying unity was essential in confronting the “fake regime.”
Uncertainty remains over the attendance of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, although he visited Qatar earlier in the week in a display of solidarity.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
