Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to attend the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit, also known as the Gaza peace accords signing ceremony, in Egypt on October 13, co-hosted by US President Donald Trump.
The premier will join the summit tomorrow, co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and President Trump, which aims to finalise an agreement to end the war in Gaza.
In a statement on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the prime minister had received invitations from both presidents to attend the meeting.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and other senior ministers will accompany the premier during the visit, the Foreign Office said.
The Sharm El-Sheikh Summit follows Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts, alongside other Muslim nations, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 80th Session last month, for a lasting peace in Gaza.
PM Shehbaz, accompanied by several Arab-Islamic countries – including Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Indonesia, and Turkiye – attended a summit-level meeting on Gaza with President Trump on September 23.
Following Trump’s announcement of a Gaza peace plan, the Arab-Islamic countries issued a joint statement, welcoming the US president’s efforts to achieve peace in the besieged strip.
Leaders of Muslim and Arab countries reaffirmed their joint commitment to work with the US to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire and to address the critical humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
“Prime Minister’s participation in the Summit reflects Pakistan’s historic, consistent, and unwavering support for the just cause of the Palestinian people for their right to self-determination as well as for achieving lasting peace and stability in the region,” the MoFA statement read.
MoFA expressed hope that the upcoming summit will pave the way for full Israeli withdrawal, protection of Palestinian civilians, an end to their displacement, as well as reconstruction of Gaza.
“Pakistan also hopes that such efforts will contribute to a credible political process aimed at achieving an independent, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, based on pre-1967 borders, in line with relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative,” the statement read.
Separately, PM Shehbaz and COAS Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir are scheduled to embark on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia from October 26, during which they will hold a key meeting with Saudi Crown Prince and PM Mohammed bin Salman.