Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed on Sunday the hope for “encouraging” outcomes of US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Muslim leaders in Washington earlier this week where the American head of the state presented his plan to end Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
“We fully participated in the meeting on Gaza, and God willing, its encouraging results will come out soon,” he said, flanked by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar while addressing overseas Pakistanis at the High Commission in London.
He also expressed distress over the situation in Gaza, which has been subjected to Israeli onslaught since October 2023, and prayed that the cruelty and barbarity being witnessed there ends soon.
Trump’s meeting with Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York had brought together leaders from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye, and Indonesia.
Ahead of formal consultations, Trump told his guests: “We have to get the hostages back … This is the group that can do it, more than any other group in the world … so it’s an honour to be with you.”
Trump also emphasised the urgency of ending the conflict: “We had 32 meetings here, this is the one that’s very important because we’re gonna end something that should’ve probably never started.”
According to reports from Israel’s Channel 12 and US-based Axios, President Trump’s plan envisions an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, both alive and deceased; phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza
Governance excluding Hamas but incorporating the Palestinian Authority; deployment of Arab and Muslim peacekeepers to secure Gaza and facilitate Israel’s withdrawal; and internationally supported reconstruction and transition programmes funded by regional contributors.
These details were reportedly shared with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though Israel did not draft the plan.
Dar, who also attended the meeting with Trump, also expressed the hope for positive outcomes of the meeting, saying that once these results materialised, “we will share them with the nation”.
He also said that follow-up communications after the meeting were going on until last night.
Earlier during the talk, PM Shehbaz also referred to his engagements in New York, where he led Pakistan’s delegation to the UNGA’s 80th session. He said his speech at the UNGA was a reflection of the sentiments of Pakistanis and that he fought the case of India-occupied Kashmir there.
The PM also touched upon his bilateral meeting with Trump in Washington during the recent US trip, saying that it was a “productive” and “constructive” engagement.
“It was held in a conducive environment,” he said, adding that he hoped it would help further strengthen Pakistan-US ties.