ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday urged the creation of an Arab-Islamic task force to keep in check Israeli expansionist designs in the Middle East, demanding the United Nations (UN) suspend Israel’s membership of the global body.
Sharif expressed these views at an Arab‑Islamic summit in Doha in a show of support for Qatar in the wake of a Sept. 9 Israeli attack that targeted Hamas leaders in the Gulf state. The strike, which Hamas says killed five of its members but not its leadership, has prompted Arab Gulf states to forge a united front against the Israeli attack, with Pakistan seeking to leverage its current non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council to push for action.
At the summit, leaders from Muslim nations condemned Israel’s recent actions that they said not only undermined efforts toward coexistence, but also revealed a broader expansionist agenda. Uniting in denunciation of Israeli military actions in the Middle East, they called for coordinated political, legal and economic measures, including the possibility of an economic boycott of Israel, to counter the aggression and to uphold international law.
Speaking at the summit, PM Sharif voiced Islamabad’s all-out support for Qatar and said the “reckless and provocative” Israeli attack on Doha was a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar and aimed at sabotaging peace efforts in the Middle East.
