Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday rushed to Qatar on yet another day-long visit to attend an emergency meeting of Arab-Islamic nations in Doha. The summit has been called to discuss a possible unified response to Israel’s attack on Hamas leadership in the Gulf country, but expectations of any concrete outcome remain low.
The meeting comes after Israeli airstrikes on Doha on September 9 killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer, deepening anger in the region. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and PM’s Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi are accompanying Shehbaz, while Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is already in Doha. This marks Shehbaz’s second trip to Qatar within a week, underscoring Islamabad’s desperate attempts to insert itself into Gulf diplomacy.
During his previous visit on Thursday, Shehbaz met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to express solidarity after Tel Aviv’s strikes on residential areas in Doha. But even as Pakistan projects itself as a defender of Islamic causes, officials privately admit there is little expectation of action beyond strong statements.
Several top leaders of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries and the 22-member Arab League are expected at the Doha summit. The meeting is aimed at sending a “strong message” to Israel. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Sunday urged the international community to abandon its “double standards” during a closed-door meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers.
“What encourages Israel to continue its behaviour is the silence of the international community and its failure to hold Israel accountable,” he said. Yet despite the fiery rhetoric, the Arab-Islamic bloc remains divided and has struggled to translate its anger into tangible pressure.
The Doha summit is taking place as political tensions rise across the Middle East. Israel’s war in Gaza is now in its third year. The region continues to suffer devastation, and Israel has already launched strikes on Lebanon, Iran, Yemen and Syria. Qatar has tried to position itself as a mediator to end the Gaza war, but Israel attacked it anyway. Pakistan’s presence at the summit appears more symbolic than influential, reflecting its weakened diplomatic clout and reliance on Gulf patrons.
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