Qatar | Pakistan

Doha is bidding to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games, authorities said on Tuesday, as the wealthy Gulf state sets its sights on yet another major sport event to diversify its energy-reliant economy. One of the smallest and wealthiest states in the Gulf, Qatar had already hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Should it be chosen, Qatar would become the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to host the Olympic Games, said Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. “The official bid submitted by the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games represents a new milestone in Qatar’s journey,” he said in a statement shared on the official Qatar News Agency. “The bid builds on Qatar’s proven track record of successfully hosting major international sporting events, most notably the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,” Sheikh Mohammed added. Amnesty International and other rights groups claimed thousands of migrant workers died in the l...

Posts from users on multiple social media platforms on Wednesday shared a video, claiming that it showed people in Qatar protesting against a United States air base. However, the video is from May, when people in Libya were protesting against their government. Today, Iran’s National Security Council confirmed that it carried out a retaliatory missile strike on the US military base at Al Udeid in Qatar. The attack came in response to American airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. In its official statement, Iran emphasised that the number of missiles launched matched the number of bombs used by the US, framing it as a proportional response. The council also clarified that the strike did not pose any threat to Qatar, describing the Gulf nation as a “friendly and brotherly country”. A video was shared today on X by a pro-military account, based on its bio, past posts and profile picture, showing people protesting. The caption of the post said: “For the first time in history, the Qatari people are protesting, a...

Qatar’s prime minister said on Tuesday that the country had brokered a ceasefire with Iran amid the ongoing war with Israel at the request of the United States to play a role as a liaison. He also said that relations with Iran were scarred by an Iranian missile volley at a United States airbase in the Gulf Arab state, but added that he hoped ties would eventually “come back to normal”. Iran responded to US participation in Israel’s air war against Iran by firing missiles on Monday at the Al Ubeid air base, but no one was hurt after Tehran gave warning, and a ceasefire was announced hours later by Washington. Qatar, situated just across the Gulf from Iran, has often acted as a mediator in regional conflicts, including between Iran and the US and between Israel and Hamas in the continuing Gaza conflict. “What happened will definitely have its scar on the relationship [with Iran], but I hope by the time everyone learns the lesson that this kind of neighbourhood relationship should not be violated and should not ...

Saudi Arabia lambasted Iran for its “unjustifiable” attack on a US base in Qatar on Monday, offering to deploy “all its capabilities” to support Doha, with whom it has had fraught relations in the past. Riyadh said it “condemns and denounces in the strongest terms the aggression launched by Iran against the sisterly State of […]

PM speaks with Qatar, Saudi envoys

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during his visit to Doha on Tuesday where the two leaders held important discussions on strengthening bilateral relations and addressing regional security concerns.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had a telephone conversation with the Amir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, on Thursday evening and discussed developments in South Asia.