ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has voiced hope that United States President Donald Trump’s engagement with Muslim leaders at the United Nations will deliver “encouraging results” for Gaza.
Trump met the leaders of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Indonesia, and others in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. According to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, the President presented a 21-point peace framework for the Middle East, expressing confidence in a possible breakthrough.
The consultations came at a tense moment as Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has intensified, with local authorities reporting more than 65,000 deaths since October 2023. Muslim leaders pressed for accountability of Tel Aviv’s actions and demanded urgent international intervention.
Speaking in London, Shehbaz said collective efforts led by Trump “would yield positive outcomes” on Gaza. He was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who noted that leaders of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt, alongside Pakistan, Turkiye, and Indonesia, had continued deliberations beyond the initial meeting.
Pakistan reiterated its long-standing stance of rejecting diplomatic ties with Israel, while calling for a two-state solution with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the Palestinian capital under pre-1967 borders.
Meanwhile, Trump declared that there was a “real chance for greatness in the Middle East,” though he did not disclose details of any ceasefire plan ahead of his talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On the ground, Israeli tanks pushed deeper into Gaza City’s neighborhoods on Sunday, with local health officials warning they could not respond to mounting civilian distress calls. Hamas confirmed it had not received any fresh proposal from mediators.
