FO confirms PM Shehbaz’s participation in Arab-Muslim moot on Israeli strikes in Qatar

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was confirmed on Saturday to attend a summit of Arab and Muslim leaders in Qatar to denounce Israel’s attack on Hamas officials in Doha and to show solidarity with the Gulf state.
Qatar said earlier today 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.
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”.
Confirming PM Shehbaz’s participation, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement posted on X that Pakistan was a co-sponsor of the summit. It added that the Israeli attempts to occupy Gaza, expand settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and forcibly displace Palestinians were also part of the decision to hold the summit.
“Heads of states and governments and senior officials from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member countries are expected to participate in the summit. The summit will be preceded by the preparatory meeting of the foreign ministers on September 14, 2025. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar will participate in the preparatory session,” the FO said.
The FO reiterated that Pakistan accorded high importance to its relations with Qatar and strongly condemned Israeli aggression against the country and other regional states.
Among the leaders attending will be Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also be in Doha, but his presence at the meeting is yet to be confirmed. Staff Report