PM Shehbaz to join Arab-Islamic Summit in Qatar today

ISLAMABAD:  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will leave for Qatar today on a one-day visit to participate in the Arab-Islamic Summit.

An emergency Arab-Islamic summit is going to be held in Doha today, which will be attended by the PM, while Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is already in Qatar.

The Arab-Islamic summit has been called in the context of Israeli airstrikes on Doha, Palestinian tensions, and the forced displacement of Palestinians, in which heads of state and high-ranking officials of OIC member countries are also expected to participate.

It should be noted that Israel had targeted Hamas leaders in Doha a week ago, but the central leadership of Hamas was safe in this attack.

After the Israeli attack on Qatar, many other countries, including Pakistan, condemned the attack and announced their support for Qatar.

Earlier, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif departed for Doha on a daylong visit to express solidarity with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Qatari royal family, and the Qatari people following the Israeli airstrikes in residential areas of the Qatari capital city.

The prime minister was accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi.

During the visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz will meet with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and express solidarity with him as well as the people of Qatar in the wake of the unjustified Israeli aggression on Qatar in blatant violation of international laws.

The prime minister will also convey to the Qatari leadership that Qatar and Pakistan share longstanding, fraternal ties rooted in shared faith and values, and that Pakistan always stood by Qatar in challenging times and will continue to do so.

Their meeting will also include consultations on Israel’s unwarranted attacks on various countries in the region, its ongoing aggression, and efforts to establish peace in the region.