By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar distanced Pakistan on Friday from a 20-point Gaza peace plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump, saying it differed from a draft proposed by Muslim nations but insisting the negotiated result left no room for political maneuvering.
The remarks addressed questions about the plan’s origins and Pakistan’s involvement, after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly endorsed it this week.
Trump presented the roadmap last month in a meeting with leaders from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York. The discussions occurred as Israel intensified its military operations in Gaza, where more than 65,000 people have been killed since October 2023, and amid Israeli strikes on other regional states. Muslim nations have urged the world to hold Tel Aviv accountable.
In a Sept. 29 post on X, Sharif expressed his support. “I welcome President Trump’s 20-point plan to ensure an end to the war in Gaza. I am also convinced that durable peace between the Palestinian people and Israel would be essential in bringing political stability and economic growth to the region,” Sharif said. “It is also my firm belief that President Trump is fully prepared to assist in whatever way necessary to make this extremely important and urgent understanding to become a reality.”
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, Dar said he 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.” Still, he stressed that the peace plan “is the end result, and there is no room for politicking.”
“During the meeting, there was no other agenda. Today I am telling you the details,” the deputy prime minister said, adding that the talks were kept “discreet.” He detailed a preparatory session among the foreign ministers in New York to review the Gaza situation.
Dar said Trump responded favorably, pledging that his team would collaborate with the ministers on a “workable solution.” Trump also noted his impending meeting with Netanyahu and intent to halt the Gaza bombardment. Qatar’s embassy convened the meetings, which stayed out of the media spotlight.
“President Trump’s committee also came and open talks were held on what they wanted […]. They gave us a 20-point proposal,” Dar said. The ministers examined it and opted for 24 hours of deliberation. “Instead of making a completely new draft, we decided to remain within this framework and decided to either amend or delete points based on our wish list,” he said. “We held different meetings in the next 24 hours. We were exchanging hard copies in hotel rooms.”
The collective final draft from the eight nations — not just Pakistan — was submitted as a “counter draft,” Dar said. Two hours after the Pakistani team left New York, Dar got a call debating whether all ministers needed to sign; some saw it as unnecessary. “This was a small thing in my eyes,” he said. “By the time we landed at our next destination, I was told the American side had received the draft.”
At the Trump-Netanyahu meeting on Sept. 29, the plan was revealed.
Dar said he consulted the Saudi foreign minister, who reported that key demands from the eight countries were incorporated, but others needed more work. Citing the Saudi minister, Dar said the choices were to keep negotiating amid possible continued Israeli violence or advance Trump’s plan with a joint statement. “I said you are right, we should do this,” Dar recalled. The statement was finalized, and he read it aloud in the assembly.
He called the initiative the sole effective means to stop the bombardment after other forums failed. “Statements will not suffice. We need practical work,” Dar said, crediting the partner nations. Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s policy on Palestine. “There has not been any change nor will there ever be,” he said, demanding an independent Palestinian state with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital.
Separately, Dar discussed Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which carried former Jamaat-i-Islami senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. Reports indicate Israel seized 22 of the fleet’s 45 vessels and detained activists. “According to our information, it is not confirmed yet, […] but according to our information, Khan is included in this,” Dar said. Pakistan has engaged an “influential” unnamed European country to aid Khan’s release, with updates expected by Sunday. Dar said he and the foreign ministry are pursuing the return of involved Pakistanis.
The foreign office condemned the obstruction, and Dar said the government was working with international partners to secure the release of its citizens. Sharif praised their “dignified participation” and called for their immediate return.
“We have engaged a European third country, which is influential, we are using their diplomatic process,” Dar said. “We have asked them to contact there (Israel) and have our senator immediately released…I and the entire foreign ministry is engaged with them and we are trying to have all Pakistanis exited safe and sound and respectfully from there (Israel) as soon as possible.”
The interception sparked global protests, from Europe to Australia and South America. In Dublin, hundreds marched outside the Irish parliament on Thursday, reflecting Ireland’s historical support for the Palestinian cause. In Barcelona, municipal police reported 15,000 protesters chanting “Gaza, you are not alone,” “Boycott Israel,” and “Freedom for Palestine.”
Demonstrations also took place in Berlin, The Hague, Tunis, Brasilia, and Buenos Aires. Gaza faces a dire humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by Israel’s blockade since March, which has severely limited food, water, and medical supplies. The United Nations has reported famine conditions and rising child malnutrition in the enclave, home to about 2 million people, where few humanitarian trucks have been allowed entry. The flotilla was the latest attempt to break the blockade, which has left much of Gaza a wasteland after nearly two years of war.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
