Washington: US President Donald Trump on Monday lauded Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir for their full support of Washington’s proposed Gaza peace plan. Speaking at a White House press briefing, Trump described the Pakistani leaders he met last week as “incredible” and said Islamabad had backed his 20-point proposal aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas conflict from the outset.
“The Prime Minister and Field Marshal from Pakistan were with us from the beginning. They’re incredible. They fully believe in this pact and backed this 100 per cent,” Trump said. He also expressed gratitude to several Muslim and Arab leaders for their “tremendous support” in developing the plan, citing engagements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Turkey’s President Erdogan, and Indonesia’s President.
Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict envisions Gaza as a deradicalised, terror-free zone that will no longer threaten neighbouring countries. The plan calls for an immediate halt to hostilities if both sides agree, including a freeze on all military operations while Israel withdraws to the agreed lines and prepares for the release of hostages. Under the proposal, all hostages—alive or deceased—would be returned within 72 hours of Israel formally accepting the agreement.
Following the hostages’ release, Israel would free 250 life-sentence prisoners along with 1,700 Gazans detained after October 7, 2023, including all women and children. The plan also specifies that for every Israeli hostage whose remains are returned, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt welcomed the proposal in a joint statement, praising Trump’s “leadership” and “sincere efforts” to end the war.
Trump’s praise for Pakistani leadership came after his Oval Office meeting with Sharif and Munir last Thursday, which followed a US-Pakistan trade deal and a brief encounter at the UN General Assembly in New York. Since returning to office in January, Trump has overseen a thaw in US-Pakistan relations, including agreements for Pakistan to supply critical minerals and rare earth elements to the US, and a $500 million US investment in Pakistani minerals.
Additionally, the trade pact sets a 19 per cent tariff on Pakistani imports and allows US assistance in developing Pakistan’s oil reserves. Bilateral trade in goods and services reached an estimated USD 10.1 billion in 2024, up 6.3 per cent from the previous year, signalling strengthened economic and diplomatic ties between Washington and Islamabad.
