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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday pledged its support to Qatar for the defense of its sovereignty after this week’s Israeli airstrikes targeted Hamas leaders in Doha, raising alarm about a potential military escalation in an already volatile region.

Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with the attack on Tuesday, in what the United States (US) described as a unilateral attack that does not advance American and Israeli interests.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned the strikes, but did not mention Israel in a statement agreed to by all 15 members at an emergency meeting summoned at the request of Algeria, Pakistan and Somalia.

On Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha to stress Muslim unity as the Gulf country called for a collective regional response to Israeli airstrikes.

“The Prime Minister conveyed Pakistan’s strongest condemnation of the Israeli attack on Doha on September 9, terming it a blatant and flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Shafqat Ali Khan, a spokesperson for the Pakistani foreign office, told reporters in Islamabad.

“Pakistan will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the brotherly people and the leadership of Qatar in defense of their national sovereignty and security.”

Khan said the leadership and people of Pakistan were deeply disturbed by this attack.

“The Prime Minister emphasized that Israel’s present aggression in the Middle East must be stopped and the Ummah needed unity among its ranks in the face of Israeli provocations,” he said.

“The Prime Minister appreciated Qatar’s responsible, constructive and mediatory role in efforts to bring peace in Gaza and stressed that such acts of Israeli aggression were clearly meant to undermine regional stability and threaten ongoing diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.”

Qatar has been hosting and mediating in negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

Speaking at the UNSC, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani accused Israel of trying to derail efforts to end the war in Gaza, which has killed over 64,000 Palestinians since Oct. 2023, by attacking Hamas leaders in Doha, but pledged to continue its mediation efforts.

Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said at a time when delicate negotiations on Gaza peace deal were progressing toward a possible breakthrough, striking the territory of a principal mediator and those directly involved in negotiations is a deliberate attempt to “sabotage diplomacy, derail peace efforts, and prolong the suffering of civilians.”

“It is evident, that Israel, the occupying power, is bent on doing everything to undermine and blow-up every possibility of peace,” he said. “Israel’s destructive policies are incompatible with the international community’s quest for peace and stability. Sadly, it has been emboldened by the weak response, and inaction by this Council.”

He called on the UNSC to hold Israel accountable for its “unprovoked aggression.”

“The Council must go beyond; must hold Israel accountable; safeguard the role and protection of mediators engaged in peace efforts; and recommit to the centrality of international law and the UN Charter in maintaining international peace and security,” Ahmad added.

KARACHI: The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has concluded a weeklong assessment of Pakistan’s aviation safety system in Karachi, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said on Friday, a review that Islamabad hopes will pave the way for the resumption of direct flights to America after five years.

The audit, conducted with the PCAA, examined Pakistan’s legal, regulatory and operational framework. The FAA delegation will now return to Washington to deliberate on its findings before issuing a formal outcome.

“While the outcome of this assessment cannot yet be predicted, the track record of DG CAA Nadir Shafi Dar and his team — particularly their success in restoring direct routes to the European Union and the United Kingdom — provides reason for cautious optimism,” the PCAA said in a statement.

The five-member FAA delegation, accompanied by officials from the US Embassy, held extensive discussions with PCAA counterparts during the week. The review included verification of regulatory documents, evaluations of safety oversight mechanisms and briefings on compliance with international standards.

A second FAA team is expected later this year to evaluate airport and airspace security protocols in Pakistan.

The visit is part of Pakistan’s bid to regain access to the US market, from which national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been barred since June 2020. The ban followed a deadly Karachi plane crash that killed nearly 100 people and a subsequent scandal over fake pilot licenses.

Earlier this year, European and British regulators lifted their restrictions on PIA after nearly five years, allowing the airline to resume flights to those markets. 

A favorable outcome by the FAA could restore PIA’s US routes, reducing travel times for the nearly 700,000 Pakistani expatriates living in America and boosting confidence in the country’s aviation sector.

Muhammad Umair, a Karachi-based aviation analyst, told Arab News earlier this week that the FAA visit marked “the first major step” toward restoring the routes but warned the process could take months.

“They will review all safety and security protocols, identify any gaps, and ask the Pakistani authorities to address them,” he said.