Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Doha on Sunday to attend a ministerial meeting ahead of an emergency summit of Arab and Muslim leaders on Israel’s attack on Qatar.
Israel targeted Hamas leaders on 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.
Dar will “lead Pakistan’s delegation to the ministerial meeting ahead of the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit”, a statement by the Foreign Office (FO) said.
Upon arrival, the deputy PM was received by Pakistan’s Ambassador to Qatar Muhammad Aamer, Pakistan’s envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and senior officials of the Qatari government.
The Arab-Islamic summit — held under the umbrella of the 57-member OIC — is expected to draw heads of state and governments, along with senior officials, from across the Muslim world. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also set to attend the high-level moot.
“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,“ an FO statement said yesterday.
Diplomats said more than 50 OIC member states are expected to attend the Doha summit, where leaders may also weigh in on pushing Palestinian statehood at the upcoming UN General Assembly session in New York.
On the sidelines of the preparatory foreign ministers’ meeting, Dar today met with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty.
“They condemned illegal Israeli strikes on Qatar and other Muslim nations, terming them blatant violations of sovereignty and international law. Both reaffirmed their unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and stressed the urgent need for unity across the Muslim ummah,” FO said in a statement.
‘Matter of grave concern’
Analysts say tomorrow’s Arab-Islamic summit is meant to send Israel a clear signal. Pakistan has been vocal in its criticism of Israel, especially taking the centre stage at a recent United Nations Security Council meeting, where it engaged in a heated debate with Israel.
“Repeated Israeli attacks against sovereign states in the region are a matter of grave concern, not only for the Muslim ummah but also for the wider international community,” FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters on Friday.
Following the attack, PM Shehbaz undertook a one-day visit to Doha, where he met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to denounce the Israeli action and show solidarity with the Gulf state.
Qatar plays a mediation role in Israel’s recent war on Gaza alongside the US and Egypt. It hosts the largest US base in the region, and also recently gave US President Donald Trump a luxury Boeing 747-8 jet to use as his presidential plane.
For the first time in recent memory, the US joined all 15 UNSC members in condemning the Israeli strike during Thursday’s emergency meeting. The US has historically shielded Israel from statements of condemnation by not endorsing them, but on Thursday, it opted not to veto the joint statement.
Despite ongoing tensions, Trump on Friday held a dinner with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in New York.
The US president has said he was “very unhappy” about the Israeli attack on Qatar. However, earlier today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was “not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis”.
