Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif To Visit Qatar After Israeli Strikes

<p>Islamabad: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Qatar on Thursday in a gesture of solidarity with the Gulf nation in the wake of recent strikes by Israel.</p>
<p>Israel on Tuesday killed at least six Hamas officials in a strike on the energy-rich Qatar.</p>
<p>According to the Foreign Office here, the visit by the prime minister is &ldquo;a gesture of solidarity and regional unity, following the recent Israeli cowardly airstrikes targeting residential areas in Doha.&rdquo; The prime minister would be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, the foreign office said in a press release.</p>
<p>The visit underscores Pakistan&rsquo;s unwavering support for the security and sovereignty of Qatar and &ldquo;its commitment to peace and stability&rdquo; of West Asia, the Foreign Office said.</p>
<p>Sharif will meet with the ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Doha to convey Pakistan&rsquo;s deepest sympathies and support for the Qatari leadership and people.</p>
<p>Pakistan has close ties with Qatar and has already condemned the air strikes by Israel.</p>
<p>However, the visit would be limited to solidarity, or whether the two sides may discuss some possibility of defence cooperation to bolster the security of Qatar, is still not clear.&nbsp;</p>
<p><em><strong>(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)</strong></em></p>