At Gaza summit, Pakistan PM Sharif again credits Trump for ‘stopping war’ with India: ‘Outstanding contributions…’
Sharif praised Trump for bringing peace to Gaza, a Palestinian enclave torn apart by a two-year war with Israel. His comments came even as India has repeatedly denied allegations that Trump brokered a ceasefire with Pakistan in a days-long conflict earlier this year.
Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif.
While speaking on stage at the Gaza peace summit in Egypt, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised US President Donald Trump for “stopping the war” with India. Sharif said his country had nominated the US leader for the Nobel Peace Prize for his “outstanding contributions to stopping the war between India and Pakistan”. He hailed Trump for bringing peace to Gaza, a Palestinian enclave torn apart by a two-year war with Israel. Sharif’s comments came even as India has repeatedly denied claims that Trump brokered a ceasefire with Pakistan in the days-long conflict earlier this year.
‘Nice’: Trump liked Sharif’s praise
Returning to the podium after Sharif’s words, Trump described the Pakistani leader’s words as “beautiful” and asked the following question: “India and Pakistan will live very well together, right?” The Trump-Sharif friendship was on full display in Egypt even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi opted to skip the key summit; this has been questioned by some opposition leaders, including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. “Strategic constraint or missed opportunity?” Tharoor made the comment in a social media post, referring to Prime Minister Modi’s absence from the Gaza summit.
What is India’s stance on the allegation?
More than five months after the four-day India-Pakistan military conflict, Trump continues to claim that he brokered a ceasefire between the two Asian neighbors. While Pakistan has repeatedly accepted his claim, New Delhi has avoided it, saying there is no interference from a third country. Opposition leaders in India have criticized the government for failing to come out strongly against Trump, who is said to have made the allegation publicly nearly 50 times.
What is the latest situation in the Gaza war?
The Gaza summit is being held following the peace plan announced by Trump as part of the ceasefire. Israel and Hamas also exchanged hostages and prisoners earlier in the day. The war in Gaza began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel in October 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking hundreds hostage. Netanyahu then ordered a large-scale military attack on Gaza. More than 67,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians but also women and children, have been killed since then. The United Nations (UN) described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide.
