ISLAMABAD (TNS) Pakistan’s responsible role on the Gaza issue is a reflection of the UN Charter. The United Nations has welcomed US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Secretary-General’s statement said that Antonio Guterres welcomes Donald Trump’s announcement to achieve a ceasefire and lasting peace in Gaza and the region. It is now imperative that all parties are committed to an agreement and its implementation. Our priority should be to reduce the severe suffering caused by this war. Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif has vigorously raised the issue of Palestine in the General Assembly. The issue of Palestine is moving towards a solution and the Palestinian people have welcomed the Gaza peace plan. Pakistanis consider the pain of Palestine and Kashmir as their own pain. Allama Iqbal, in a detailed statement on July 3, 1937, had said that the Arabs should not trust the advice of their kings while considering their national problems because these kings cannot reach any correct decision regarding Palestine in the light of their conscience and faith.
On September 15, 1937, Quaid-e-Azam, while speaking on the Palestine issue at the annual session of the Muslim League held in Lucknow, passed a resolution requesting all Muslim countries to formulate a common strategy to save Jerusalem from the occupation of non-Muslims. Then, on March 23, 1940, the annual session of the All India Muslim League held in Lahore also passed a resolution on the Palestine issue. When Trump announced this plan, Pakistan was also specially mentioned, and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif welcomed this 20-point plan and stressed the two-state solution. He said in a post that lasting peace between the Palestinian people and Israel is indispensable for political stability and economic development in the region. Since October 7, 2023, at least 66,055 people have been martyred and 168,346 injured in Israel’s war on Gaza. Thousands more are feared to be buried under the rubble, who are presumed dead. In the attacks, 1,000 people were killed in Israel. 139 people were killed. The plan has been welcomed by many countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Italy, France and the United Kingdom, as well as the Palestinian Authority. It should be noted that under the Abraham Accords signed during Trump’s first term as president, four Muslim-majority countries had agreed to establish diplomatic relations with Israel under the mediation of the United States. The Prime Minister’s statement has drawn strong reactions across the country, with politicians, experts, journalists and activists calling it a ‘surrender’. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that we are following the Quaid-e-Azam’s policy regarding Palestine, and the 20 points announced by US President Trump are not ours. Addressing the National Assembly session, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif fully represented the nation in the United Nations General Assembly session, raised the issue of Palestine with Kashmir, discussed global issues and raised the issue of climate change, where it was condemned by naming Israel. Ishaq Dar said that before going to the General Assembly, we discussed that the United Nations session is held every year, this time it is the 80th, but the United Nations has failed to stop the bloodshed in Gaza, the European Union has failed, the Arab countries have failed, our effort was to engage the United States, which is the last hope, together with some countries, and stop the daily bloodshed of innocent lives, deaths from hunger and displacement, and the plan to seize the West Bank. Speaking in the Senate, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar said that the Palestinian issue is moving towards a solution, the Palestinian people have welcomed the Gaza peace plan. He is proud of the defense agreement to protect the Two Holy Mosques. The Trump plan for peace in Gaza is a manifestation of the unity of Islamic leaders. In a recent fruitful meeting with the US President, the unity of Islamic leaders has played an important role for peace in Gaza. The diplomacy of Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif has been appreciated worldwide. Is Trump’s peace plan an end to the Gaza war or the starting point of a new era of negotiations? A joint statement by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Indonesia said that they will play a ‘constructive’ role in finalizing the agreement. They welcomed Trump’s “sincere efforts” to end the war, which would allow Gaza to be rebuilt and Palestinian displacement to be stopped. The statement also praised the US president for not allowing the annexation of the West Bank. The foreign ministers’ statement said they wanted “peace based on a two-state solution” and that Gaza should be fully integrated into a Palestinian state alongside the West Bank. Then there is the question of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), which would act to some extent as a peacekeeping force in Gaza. The “comprehensive plan” states that this new force would take control of Gaza and stabilize the situation when the Israeli army withdraws. It sets out some goals that must be met for the army to withdraw, indicating that, at least in theory, the US expects the Israeli army and the new security force to work together.The full text of the White House’s comprehensive plan for ending the Gaza conflict, released by the US President, is as follows: 1. Gaza will be a non-extremist, terrorist-free zone that poses no threat to its neighbors. 2. Gaza will be rebuilt for the benefit of its people, who have already suffered greatly. 3. If both sides agree to the proposal, the war will end immediately, Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed-upon line in preparation for the release of the hostages, during which time all military actions, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and the fighting will remain frozen until the necessary conditions for a full phased withdrawal are met. 4. All [prisoners], whether alive or dead, will be returned within 72 hours of Israel’s public approval of the agreement. 5. As soon as all [prisoners] are released, Israel will release 250 life-sentenced prisoners, as well as 1,700 Gazans who were detained after October 7, 2023, including all women and children detained in this regard. For every body of an Israeli hostage, Israel will hand over the bodies of 15 Gaza martyrs. 6. As soon as all [prisoners] are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful coexistence and the deactivation of their weapons will be granted a general amnesty. Hamas members who wish to leave Gaza will be provided with safe passage to receiving countries. 7. Immediately after the approval of this agreement, full aid will be sent to the Gaza Strip, at least the amount of aid that was agreed upon in the January 19, 2025 agreement regarding humanitarian assistance, including the restoration of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), the rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and the provision of necessary equipment for the removal of debris and the opening of roads. 8. The process of delivering aid and its distribution to the Gaza Strip will continue without interference through the United Nations and its agencies, the Red Crescent and other international organizations not affiliated with any party, and the Rafah Crossing will be opened from both sides as implemented in the January 19, 2025 agreement. 9. Gaza will be administered by a temporary transitional government system, run by a non-political Palestinian committee composed of technical experts, which will be responsible for the day-to-day supervision and implementation of public services and municipal affairs for the people of Gaza. The committee will be composed of Palestinian and international experts, overseen and supervised by a new international interim body, the Board of Peace, which will be led and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of state to be announced later, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The body will establish a framework and manage funding for the reconstruction of Gaza, until the Palestinian Authority completes its reform plan (as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump’s 2020 peace plan and the Saudi-French proposal) and is able to effectively and safely reassume control of Gaza. The body will seek to establish modern and effective governance based on best international standards that serves the people of Gaza and provides a conducive environment for investment.
10. The Trump Economic Development Plan will be created to rebuild Gaza and set it on a new path of development, for which a panel of experts who have played a role in laying the foundation for modern and prosperous miracle cities in the Middle East will be established, thoughtful investment plans and ambitious development proposals have been prepared by several international organizations, which will be considered in order to combine security and governance structures to attract and facilitate investment that will provide jobs, opportunities and hope for the future of Gaza. 11. A special economic zone will be established, for which preferential tariffs and access rates will be determined with participating countries. 12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza and those who wish to leave will be free to go and return, we will encourage people to stay here and give them the opportunity to build a better Gaza. 13. Hamas and other factions agree that they will not play any role in governing Gaza, directly, indirectly or in any form, and that all military, terrorist and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapons factories, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. A process of demilitarization of Gaza will be carried out under the supervision of independent monitors, in which weapons will be permanently rendered unusable under a defined deactivation procedure, and will be supported by an internationally funded buyback and reintegration program. Independent monitors will verify all steps. The new Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and peaceful coexistence with its neighbors. 14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas and other factions abide by their responsibilities and that the new Gaza will not pose a threat to its neighbors or its people.15. The United States, in collaboration with Arab and international partners, will establish a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) that will be deployed immediately to Gaza. The ISF will train and support the vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt, who have extensive experience in this regard. This force will be a long-term internal security solution. The ISF will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure the border areas with newly trained Palestinian police officers. It is essential to prevent the entry of weapons into Gaza and to enable the rapid and safe delivery of goods for reconstruction and rehabilitation. A de-escalation mechanism will be established between the parties. 16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. When the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israeli military will withdraw based on criteria, milestones, and time frames to be agreed upon between the Israeli military, the ISF, the guarantors, and the United States, with the goal of establishing a secure Gaza that does not pose a threat to Israel, Egypt, or its citizens. The Israeli military will, in accordance with the agreement reached with the Transitional Authority, gradually hand over the occupied Gaza Strip to the ISF until it has fully withdrawn from Gaza, but will maintain a security presence until Gaza is completely free from the threat of renewed terrorism. 17. If Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, the measures outlined above, including the enhanced relief operation, will continue in the terrorist-free areas that the Israeli military has handed over to the ISF. 18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established, based on the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, to seek to change the mindset and narrative of Palestinians and Israelis and to highlight the benefits of peace. 19. As the reconstruction of Gaza progresses and the Palestinian Authority’s reform program is implemented in good faith, conditions may finally emerge that provide a credible path for the Palestinian people to achieve self-determination and statehood, in accordance with their aspirations, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people. 20. The United States will initiate a dialogue process between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence. Many key issues depend on President Donald Trump’s so-called “comprehensive plan” to end the Gaza war, so it is unlikely that this plan will be allowed to fail completely. The US president has ensured that all influential stakeholders, including Israel itself, the Muslim bloc and Europe, are taken into confidence for the plan, which envisions an ideal situation in the Palestinian territories after the end of the war. There are parts of this peace plan that could raise objections from both Tel Aviv and Palestinian groups. Therefore, it is unlikely that the draft released by the White House will be immune to change for long.
