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ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, stressing Muslim unity as Qatar called for a collective regional response to an Israeli strike on its capital.

Sharif’s day-long trip came two days after Israeli warplanes bombed a residential building in the Qatari capital on Sept. 9, killing at least six people including a Qatari security guard. Israel said the raid targeted Hamas officials, but Qatar denounced it as a “criminal attack” and “flagrant violation” of international law.

Speaking to CNN on Wednesday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Israel had carried out “state terrorism” and “killed any hope” for hostage negotiations in Gaza. Qatar has been hosting Hamas’s political bureau and working with the United States and Egypt to mediate ceasefire and prisoner-exchange talks since the war erupted last October. Al Thani said Doha was now reassessing its role and consulting with regional partners on a collective response, with an upcoming Arab-Islamic summit in Doha expected to decide next steps.

“The [Pakistan] prime minister emphasized that Israel’s brazen aggression must be stopped and stressed that the Muslim ummah needs unity in the face of Israeli provocations,” Sharif’s office said in a statement after the talks with the Emir.

Calling the assault “an open violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and regional integrity,” Sharif assured Sheikh Tamim of Pakistan’s full support against what he described as an “unjustified provocation.”

Sharif praised Qatar’s “responsible and constructive” role in Gaza mediation and warned that Israel’s actions were clearly aimed at destabilizing the region and undermining diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.

The premier said Pakistan had joined Qatar in requesting an emergency UN Security Council meeting on the attack and welcomed Doha’s decision to host an extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit on Sept. 15, noting Islamabad’s readiness to co-sponsor and co-convene the gathering with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The planned summit comes as the Gaza war continues to drive regional instability.

More than 64,600 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military campaign in October 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities.

ISLAMABAD: Saudi oil marketing company Wafi Energy has donated 5,000 liters of petrol to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to support ongoing relief operations, its chief executive said on Thursday, as monsoon floods continue to devastate large parts of the country.

The contribution, made at a ceremony hosted at the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad, comes as part of wider Saudi efforts to assist Pakistan. Riyadh’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) has already provided food, shelter and other items for more than 200,000 victims across the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces and the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Since late June, heavy monsoon rains and flash floods have killed more than 929 people and affected over 4 million nationwide, according to NDMA figures.

“Today we are contributing 5,000 liters of petrol to NDMA, before that we have contributed two separate tranches of fuel,” Zubair Shaikh, CEO of Wafi Energy Pakistan, told Arab News after the ceremony. “We plan to do relief item support for the affected communities.”

Wafi Energy, which acquired an 87.78% stake in Shell Pakistan Limited last year, operates more than 600 fueling stations and nationwide oil terminals. The company, now rebranded from Shell Pakistan, markets petroleum products, CNG and lubricants across the country.

Fuel supplies are critical during disaster response, enabling the NDMA to run rescue boats, transport relief goods to cut-off communities, power generators at relief camps and keep emergency vehicles operating in flood-hit areas.

Shaikh said Wafi Energy was committed to sustaining its contribution beyond fuel deliveries also.

“This is part of our values. So, this is a small contribution as part of NDMA, which we are doing as part of fuel contribution,” he said.

“We will keep on supporting the community in the rain-affected area and make sure we give them the livelihood in the next few months so that this contribution doesn’t end here.” 

��������’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki welcomed the Wafi initiative and urged other firms to follow suit.

“I think this initiative is very important for all the companies which are investing here in Pakistan,” he told Arab News, adding that many parts of Pakistan remained badly affected and people were in urgent need of food, shelter and other items.

The envoy also underlined ��������’s government-level support through KSrelief, pledging that the Kingdom would continue to stand by Pakistan.

“The kingdom is here to stand with Pakistan, to support Pakistan in the critical situations.”