Pakistan’s flip-flop on Trump's Gaza peace plan: PM Shehbaz Sharif thanks US president after minister backtracks
Shehbaz Sharif’s X post comes a day after Hamas accepted some elements of Trump's plan to end the nearly two-year war and return all the remaining hostages.
Pakistan appears to have made a sharp U-turn on US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan. First foreign minister Ishaq Dar said it diverged from what Muslim-majority nations had originally put forward, then Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed it as a step towards ending the bloodshed.
Shehbaz Sharif, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, said, “Alhamdolillah, we are closer to a ceasefire than we have been since this genocide was launched on the Palestinian people.”
Thanking Donald Trump and leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and Indonesia for their efforts to broker peace, Sharif added, "The statement issued by Hamas creates a window for a ceasefire and ensuring peace that we must not allow to close again. InshaAllah, Pakistan will continue to work with all its partners and brotherly nations to everlasting peace in Palestine.
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Sharif’s post comes a day after Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that controls Gaza, accepted some elements of Trump's plan to end the nearly two-year war and return all the remaining hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, attack.
Hamas said it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. Senior Hamas officials suggested there were still major disagreements that required further negotiations.
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Trump had earlier this week unveiled a 20-point blueprint aimed at ending the year-long war between Israel and Hamas. The plan calls for the return of all hostages within 72 hours of a ceasefire and outlines a roadmap for a redeveloped “New Gaza.”
It also proposes the deployment of international and Arab forces to oversee Israel’s phased withdrawal and reconstruction efforts in the enclave.
Pak foreign minister said 'not same as ours'
However, Pakistan’s tone shifted dramatically on Friday when foreign minister Ishaq Dar told lawmakers that Trump’s version of the peace plan was not the one proposed by the bloc of eight Muslim-majority nations that met the US president on September 22 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
“I have made it clear that these 20 points which Trump has made public are not the same as ours. Some changes have been made to the draft we had,” Dar said.
According to Dar, the joint Muslim proposal had called for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a “path for a just peace based on the two-state solution.” Trump’s plan, by contrast, envisions only a partial pullback of Israeli troops, tied to the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas.
What Ishaq Dar claimed
Dar also claimed that Trump had personally assured the Muslim leaders that he would not allow any Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank, a key demand from hardliners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.
Dar's fresh statement:
However, on Saturday, Dar said “Hamas' response is a welcome step”.
“This must now result in an immediate ceasefire, end to Palestinian suffering, ensure hostages release, and allow free flow of humanitarian aid. Israel MUST immediately stop its attacks. We reaffirm Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and a sovereign, viable State of Palestine on the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital," the minister wrote on X.
Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan
Under Trump’s plan, military operations in Gaza would be halted, battle lines frozen, and a transitional “technocratic, apolitical” Palestinian administration installed. The proposal also includes the formation of a “Board of Peace,” chaired by Trump and reportedly featuring former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in an advisory role.
Trump on Friday said Hamas must agree to the proposed peace deal for Gaza by Sunday and threatened that the group will suffer more attacks if it doesn't.
Dar insisted that Pakistan will never recognise Israel and that it remains committed to the two-state solution with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al Sharif (Jerusalem) as the capital of a future Palestinian state. He insisted that there was no change in Pakistan's principled stance.
He also confirmed that under the proposed agreement, an international peacekeeping contingent would be deployed to Palestine. He said Pakistan's leadership would soon decide whether to contribute troops.
