Doha (TDI): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday condemned Israel’s strike on Doha, calling it a reckless attempt to derail peace initiatives in the Middle East, and urged the formation of an Arab-Islamic task force to confront what he described as Israel’s expansionist designs.
Speaking at the Arab-Islamic Emergency Summit in Qatar’s capital, the premier said the attack was a blatant violation of Qatari sovereignty and territorial integrity. “Pakistan stands shoulder to shoulder with our Qatari brothers and sisters,” he declared, stressing that Israel’s actions reflected a wider hegemonic agenda rather than isolated incidents.
He praised Qatar’s Emir for his “tireless diplomatic efforts” to bridge divides, and criticized Israel’s assault on Gaza, which he said had reduced the enclave to “rubble and ruin.” Shehbaz urged Arab and Islamic nations to take stronger measures, including holding Israel accountable for war crimes, suspending its UN membership, and pressing the UN Security Council to invoke Chapter VII for an immediate ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, and humanitarian access.
“Peace mediators have always been inviolable and sacrosanct, even in times of war,” the prime minister remarked, questioning Israel’s commitment to negotiations and its disregard for human life. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for a two-state solution, with a sovereign Palestinian state on pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds as its capital.
Read More: Arab-Islamic Summit Demands Sanctions, Arms Embargo on Israel
Shehbaz, who arrived in Doha earlier in the day, was received by Qatar’s Minister of Culture Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani. He was joined at the summit by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, and Special Assistant to the PM Tariq Fatemi. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was already in Doha for preparatory meetings with counterparts from Egypt, Iran, Turkiye, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, and OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha.
Read More: Dar Urges Action Against Israel to Protect Global Order
Dar, addressing the ministerial session on Sunday, denounced Israel’s strike as a violation of international law and the UN Charter’s Article 2(4). He emphasized that repeated emergency gatherings of the OIC underscored how Israel had become “a persistent irritant and a danger to world peace and security.”
As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Dar said, Pakistan would continue working with the OIC and Arab partners to mobilize global support for accountability.
