Qatar | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, held an important meeting in Doha with a 40-member delegation representing over 300,000 overseas Pakistani workers residing in Qatar.

ISLAMABAD - Following the deadly cross-border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, regional powers including Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar yesterday urged both Islamabad and Kabul to exercise restraint and resolve their escalating border dispute through dialogue.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday that Qatar will be allowed to build an air force facility at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho that will house F-15 fighter jets and pilots. The announcement comes soon after President Donald Trump signed an executive order vowing to defend the Gulf Arab state against attacks, following Israeli air strikes targeting Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital Doha. “We’re signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emiri Air Force facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho,” Hegseth said at the Pentagon, with Qatari Defence Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at his side. “The location will host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training” as well as “increase lethality, interoperability,” he said. “It’s just another example of our partnership. And I hope you know, your excellency, that you can count on us.” The Idaho base currently also hosts a fighter jet squadron from Singapore, according to its website. Hegseth a...

The United States will regard “any armed attack” on Qatari territory as a threat to Washington and will provide the Gulf Arab state with security guarantees, the White House said, after an Israeli strike on the country last month. “In light of the continuing threats to the State of Qatar posed by foreign aggression, it is the policy of the United States to guarantee the security and territorial integrity of the State of Qatar against external attack,” said an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump on Monday. In the event of an attack on Qatar, the United States will “take all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability,” the order said. The agreement comes after an Israeli strike on the key US regional ally on September 9, targeting officials from Hamas who were discussing a US peace proposal to end the conflict in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minist...

• US vetoes resolution calling for immediate Gaza ceasefire, Democrats table resolution for recognition of Palestine • Focus on Middle East may affect scheduled Trump-Shehbaz meeting • PM heads to London, will attend UN moot on two-state solution WASHINGTON: With world leaders expected to converge on New York for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the escalating crises in Gaza and Qatar are reshaping global diplomatic priorities, with significant implications for Pakistan’s engagement with the United States. In addition to his address at the General Assembly, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also expected to take part in the high-level international conference for the ‘Peaceful Sett­lement of the Question of Pales­tine and the Imple­men­tation of the Two-State Solution’. The conference, which will take place on Monday, would require the Pakistani delegation to hold close consultations with Arab and Muslim leaders during the UNGA. At a news briefing this week, UN Secretary General Antonio...

Pakistan warned of “dangerous escalation” as the United Nations and a long line of countries on Tuesday denounced Israel’s attack on Qatar last week, demanding “accountability”. Israel’s strikes on the Qatari capital on September 9 targeted Hamas leaders gathered to discuss a new US ceasefire proposal for Gaza. Five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer were killed. That strike “was a shocking breach of international law”, UN rights chief Volker Turk said during an urgent debate at the UN Human Rights Council about the strike. Denouncing the attack as “an assault on regional peace and stability”, he urged “accountability for unlawful killings”. His words were echoed by Qatar and dozens of country representatives who took the floor during the three-hour debate. Qatari International Cooperation Minister Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad slammed Israel’s “treacherous attack” and demanded that the international community “take practical steps to hold the aggressors accountable and prevent their impunity”...

Arab and Muslim leaders called for a review of ties with Israel after emergency talks in Doha on Monday following last week’s deadly strike on Hamas members in the Qatari capital. The Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) joint session, which brought together nearly 60 countries, sought to take firm action after Israel’s attack on Qatar-hosted Hamas officials as they discussed a Gaza ceasefire proposal. It was co-sponsored by Pakistan. A joint statement from the summit urged “all states to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people”, including “reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with it, and initiating legal proceedings against it”. Qatar’s fellow Gulf nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, along with Egypt, Jordan and Morocco, were among those present that recognise Israel. The leaders of the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, which signed the Abraham Accords recognising Israel five years ago to the d...

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. 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. 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 st...

Pakistan has strongly condemned Israel’s attack on Qatar, terming it a blatant violation of international law.

Pakistan on Friday called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to move beyond verbal condemnation and hold Israel accountable for what it termed “illegal and unprovoked aggression” against Qatar.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed for Doha on Thursday morning for a one-day visit to express solidarity with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Qatari royal family, and the people of Qatar following recent Israeli aggression.

Pakistan seeks UNSC meeting on Qatar strike

Pakistan on Wednesday requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to address the unprovoked and illegal Israeli aggression against the State of Qatar.

• Hamas says its five members killed, Gaza chief survives • US distances itself from attack, though White House says it was ‘informed’ • Qatar PM warns Doha reserves right to respond • Pakistan calls for holding Israel accountable for destabilising already-volatile region • World leaders flay Tel Aviv for ‘violation of international law’ • Aid flotilla defiant after being hit by drone DOHA: Expanding its web of unlawful military actions in the region, Israel launched a surprise airstrike against Qatar — which has been instrumental in trying to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza — that claimed the lives of five people. The strike, which the US had advance information of, targeted the Hamas negotiating team, drawing widespread condemnation and sharp reactions from global leaders and states. Qatar’s prime minister warned his country reserved the right to respond to Israel’s deadly attack, calling it a “pivotal moment” for the region. “Qatar… reserves the right to respond to this blatant attack,” Prime Minister Sheikh...

Israel launched an airstrike against Hamas leaders in Qatar on Tuesday, expanding military actions that have ranged across the Middle East to include the Gulf Arab state where the Palestinian group has long had its political base. Qatar, which has acted as a mediator alongside Egypt in talks on a ceasefire in the almost two-year-old conflict in Gaza, condemned the attack as “cowardly” and called it a flagrant violation of international law. Two Hamas sources told Reuters that Hamas officials in the ceasefire negotiating team survived the attack, which followed an evacuation order in Gaza City, where Israel is waging an offensive to try to destroy the group and its military capabilities in the Gaza Strip. A senior Hamas source told Al Jazeera that leaders of the group were targeted while discussing United States President Donald Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. “The IDF (Israeli military) and ISA (security agency) conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organi...

Pakistan on Tuesday condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli aggression against the State of Qatar, calling it a grave violation of international law and a serious threat to regional stability.

Pakistan and Qatar reaffirmed their commitment to regional peace and stability during a meeting between Pakistan’s top military official, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and Qatari military leadership on his visit to Qatar, the military’s media wing said on Thursday. Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) Mirza, — who is in Qatar for the second round of the Higher Military Cooperation Committee (HMCC) — called on the Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, where both sides “reaffirmed their shared commitment to peace and stability at the regional and global level,” a press release issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. “The civil and military leadership of Qatar acknowledged Pakistan’s pivotal and responsible role in ensuring regional stability,” it added. Also present at the meeting was the Chief of Staff Qatar Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Jassim Mohammad Ahmed Al-Mannal. The CJCSC was presented with a guard of honour at the Qatar Armed Forces ...

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza met Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani, as well as Qatar Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt Gen (Pilot) Jassim Mohammad Ahmed Al-Mannal, during his official visit to the Gulf.

Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik on Tuesday met Minister of State for Energy Affairs of Qatar, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, in Doha.

Pakistan and Qatar have agreed to broaden their partnership to include joint efforts on tackling plastic pollution, promoting environmental sustainability, and boosting green investments, following a high-level meeting in Islamabad on Friday.