US President Donald Trump on Monday praised Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir for backing the Gaza peace plan.
Trump made the remark while speaking at a press briefing after the White House announcement of the 20-point Gaza peace plan, which would end the war between Israel and Hamas militants.
During the briefing, Trump heaped praises for several Arab leaders, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, for their contributions and suggestions in the peace plan, being pushed by the White House for the redevelopment of what it calls the “New Gaza”.
Also Read: Demilitarisation, temporary govt, Hamas surrender: What Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan includes
“I want to thank the leaders of many Arab and Muslim nations for their tremendous support in developing the proposal... My meetings and dialogue with the Saudi Arabia, the Emir of Qatar, the UAE, The King of Jordan... President Erdogan of Turkey, President of Indonesia, we were together," Trump said while lauding world leaders for their support in the peace plan.
Speaking of the Pakistani leaders, Trump said, “The prime minister and the field marshal of Pakistan, they were with us right from the beginning. They just put out a statement that they fully believe in this pact.”
{{/usCountry}}Speaking of the Pakistani leaders, Trump said, “The prime minister and the field marshal of Pakistan, they were with us right from the beginning. They just put out a statement that they fully believe in this pact.”
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: White House releases Gaza peace plan as Trump meets Netanyahu
“It just came out as I was walking around. They (officials) said, 'Sir you have a big notice from the prime minister of Pakistan and from the field marshal' that they back this 100%,” Trump said in the briefing.
Shehbaz Sharif took to X to welcome Trump’s proposal and said that a durable peace between Palestinians and Israelis is essential for political stability and economic growth in the region.
What is the peace plan?
If both Israel and Hamas agree to Trump's proposal, the war in Gaza will end immediately with the release of hostages and prisoners from the two sides and a demilitarisation. Following the release of hostages and disarming of Hamas, Israeli forces will start withdrawing, with all military operations suspended and battle lines frozen.
While the Hamas would release all the Israeli hostages, dead or alive, within 72 hours of Israel accepting the proposal. Once the hostages are released, Israel will free 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans arrested after the start of the conflict on October 7, 2023.
Trump's praise for Shehbaz, Munir
President Trump last week praised Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir as great guys ahead of a scheduled meeting at the Oval Office.
"We have a great leader coming, the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Field Marshal. Field Marshal is a very great guy, and so is the Prime Minister, both, and they're coming, and they may be in this room right now," Trump told reporters before the meeting.
The meeting, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, was the latest in a series of high-level US engagements with Pakistan.
Sharif, who was accompanied by Asim Munir, made a brief visit to Washington DC from New York for the meeting with Trump on Thursday.