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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been taken off the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) watchlist and is no longer under monitoring for possible sanctions, state media said on Friday.

The country was placed on the list last year for “outstanding non-conformities” with WADA’s updated anti-doping code and was warned to meet key requirements by January 2025 or risk its athletes being banned from competition.

WADA said the compliance procedure against Pakistan’s anti-doping agency was closed after all corrective actions were completed, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).

“This is not just a bureaucratic victory,” the news agency quoted Director General Pakistan Sports Board Yasir Pirzada as saying in its report. “It is a lifeline for Pakistani athletes and sports federations.”

APP said Pakistan enforced measures ranging from policy alignment to procedural reforms to meet global standards.

WADA promotes, coordinates and monitors the fight against doping in sports. It works with governments, sports bodies and labs worldwide to ensure fair play and athlete health.

Doping in sports refers to the use of banned substances or methods to enhance performance and giving athletes an unfair advantage.

It undermines fair competition, poses serious health risks and damages the integrity of sport. Anti-doping agencies worldwide conduct testing and enforcement to ensure a level playing field.

Pakistan competes internationally in cricket, hockey, football, squash, wrestling, boxing, athletics, weightlifting and shooting apart from sending athletes to the Olympics, Paralympics and regional events like the South Asian Games.

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.