ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday backed President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end Israel’s war on Gaza, praising his leadership for efforts to bring an end to the nearly two-year-old Israeli onslaught.
Trump presented the peace plan for Gaza and the Middle East during his meeting with leaders of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Indonesia and other Muslim states last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session.
The meeting came in the backdrop of Israel’s ramping up of its military operations in Gaza, where it has killed over 65,000 people since October 2023, as well as Israeli attacks against other regional states, with Muslim nations demanding the world hold Tel Aviv accountable.
In a post on X, Sharif, whose country does not recognize Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders, welcomed the US president’s 20-point plan to ensure an end to the war in Gaza.
“I am also convinced that durable peace between the Palestinian people and Israel would be essential in bringing political stability and economic growth to the region,” the Pakistan premier said.
“It is also my firm belief that President Trump is fully prepared to assist in whatever way necessary to make this extremely important and urgent understanding to become a reality.”
Sharif has gained favor with Trump since publicly endorsing the US president for a Nobel Peace Prize over his role in brokering a ceasefire in a four-day Pakistan-India military standoff in May. Unlike Sharif, PM Narendra Modi has declined to indulge Trump’s attempt to claim credit for the truce.
On Sept. 25, the Pakistani premier and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir met Trump at the White House, in a high-level engagement aimed at resetting relations between the two countries and expanding cooperation on security, trade and regional peace.
On Sunday, Trump expressed optimism about reaching a deal to end the war in Gaza, saying there is “a real chance for greatness in the Middle East.”
“I laud President Trump’s leadership and the vital role played by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in bringing an end to this war,” Sharif said in his X post on Monday.
“I also strongly believe that the implementation of the two-state proposal is essential to ensure lasting peace in the region.”
