'Gratitude is due ...': Pakistan takes a U-turn; after Dar's objection, PM Shehbaz hails Trump's Gaza peace plan

A day after Pakistan's foreign minister Ishaq Dar said that Donald Trump's was not endorsed by Pakistan, Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday hailed US President's plan calling it a "step towards ending bloodshed."

In a social media post on X, Shehbaz thanked Trump and leaders of Arab and Muslim states for their efforts to bring peace in Palestine.

“Alhamdolillah, we are closer to a ceasefire than we have been since this genocide was launched on the Palestinian people. Pakistan has always stood by the Palestinian people and shall always do so,” Shehbaz said.



"Gratitude is due to President Trump, as well as to leaderships of Qatar, Saudia Arabia, UAE, Turkiye, Jordan, Egypt, and Indonesia who, met with President Trump on the sidelines of #UNGA80 for the resolution of the Palestinian issue. 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," he added.

Shehbaz took a U-turn as his deputy Dar had claimed 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 made it clear that the 20 points that President Trump made public are not ours. Changes were made to our draft. I have the record,” Dar said, emphasising that “there is no room for politicking” on the issue.

Dar explained that the plan took shape during a meeting between Trump and foreign ministers of eight countries - Pakistan, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt - on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly session. He said the group had prepared a counter-draft to the US proposal, focusing on an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian aid, and an end to the ongoing bloodshed in Gaza.

Dar also reaffirmed that Pakistan will never recognise Israel and continues to back the two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al Sharif (Jerusalem) as the capital of a future Palestinian state. He stressed that Pakistan’s stance remains unchanged.

Dar also confirmed that the plan envisions deploying an international peacekeeping force in Palestine, and said Pakistan’s leadership would soon decide on contributing troops.

Under Donald Trump’s proposed plan, military operations in Gaza would be suspended, existing battle lines would remain in place, and a temporary “technocratic, non-political” Palestinian administration would be established. The plan also calls for creating a “Board of Peace,” chaired by Trump, with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair reportedly serving as an adviser.

On Friday, Trump said Hamas must accept the proposed Gaza peace plan by Sunday, warning that failure to do so would result in further attacks.

This comes as Hamas 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.