US President Donald Trump praised Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir for backing his proposed Gaza peace plan. Calling the Pakistani leaders “incredible,” Trump said that they were with the US and Israel right from the beginning. Speaking at a White House press briefing on Monday, Trump said, “The Prime Minister and the Field Marshal of Pakistan, they were with us right from the beginning. Incredible. In fact, they just put out a statement that they fully believe in this pact. It just came out just as I was walking around. They said, Sir, we have a big notice from the Prime Minister of Pakistan and from the field marshal that they back this 100%.” Trump’s commendation of Pakistani leadership came after his meeting with Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir in the Oval Office last Thursday. This meeting occurred after a trade deal between the US and Pakistan and shortly after Trump and Sharif briefly met at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, where the US president held a multilateral meeting with leaders from Arab nations and others, including Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye. Since Trump’s return to the White House in January, ties with Islamabad, whom he described in his first term as a terrorist safe-haven that has long conned America, have improved. Last month, Washington signed an agreement for Pakistan to supply critical minerals and rare earth elements to the US. Additionally, a US firm is investing Rs 500 crore in Pakistani minerals. This follows Trump’s July pledge to collaborate with Pakistan to develop its “massive oil reserves.”
Trump’s Gaza plan
Trump’s ‘Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict,’ announced Monday, proposes that Gaza become a deradicalised, terror-free zone that poses no threat to its neighbours and will undergo redevelopment. “If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed-upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal,” the plan states. It also calls for the return of all hostages, alive or dead, within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting the agreement. Once all hostages are released, Israel will free 250 life sentence prisoners and 1,700 Gazans detained after October 7, 2023, including all women and children. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans. Following the announcement, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Qatar, and Egypt issued a joint statement lauding Trump’s “leadership” and his “sincere efforts” to end the war in Gaza. Go to Source
