Trump Praises Pakistan Leadership for Supporting US Gaza Peace Plan: Strengthening US-Pakistan Relations

US President Donald Trump has expressed high praise for Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir for their support of Washington's Gaza peace plan. During a White House press briefing on Monday, Trump described the Pakistani leaders as "incredible" and highlighted their early backing of his 20-point proposal designed to end the Israel-Hamas conflict.

"The Prime Minister and Field Marshal from Pakistan were with us from the beginning. They're incredible. They just put out a statement that they fully believe in this pact. They backed this 100 percent and are fully in support of this plan," Trump stated.

Trump also expressed gratitude to leaders from various Muslim and Arab nations for their "tremendous support" in developing the Gaza peace proposal. He specifically mentioned Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Jordan, Turkey, and Indonesia, acknowledging their collaborative role in the peace process.

The 'Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict' announced by Trump outlines that Gaza will become a deradicalized, terror-free zone that poses no threat to neighboring regions and will undergo redevelopment. The plan stipulates an immediate end to the war if both sides agree to the proposal, with Israeli forces withdrawing to agreed-upon lines to prepare for hostage release.

According to the plan, all military operations including aerial and artillery bombardment will be suspended during this period. The agreement calls for the return of all hostages, whether alive or deceased, within 72 hours of Israel's public acceptance of the agreement.

Following the release of all hostages, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners and 1700 Gazans detained after October 7, 2023, including all women and children. For each Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will return the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.

After Trump's announcement, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt issued a joint statement welcoming Trump's "leadership" and "sincere efforts" to end the Gaza war.

Trump's commendation of Pakistani leadership came after his meeting with Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir in the Oval Office the previous Thursday. This meeting followed a trade agreement between the United States and Pakistan and occurred shortly after a brief encounter between Trump and Sharif at the UN General Assembly in New York.

Relations between Islamabad and Washington have improved since Trump returned to the White House in January. Last month, the US signed an agreement for Pakistan to supply critical minerals and rare earth elements, with a US firm investing $500 million in Pakistani minerals. This development followed Trump's July commitment to work with Pakistan on developing its "massive oil reserves."

The recent trade agreement between the two nations includes a 19 percent tariff on Pakistani imports and provides for US assistance in developing Pakistan's oil reserves. US-Pakistan trade in goods and services reached an estimated $10.1 billion in 2024, representing a 6.3 percent increase ($523.0 million) from 2023.