The White House has unveiled a 20-point proposal it says could bring an immediate halt to Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians and left the Palestinian enclave in ruins.
If the plan is accepted by both sides, the war is to end immediately, with all captives held in Gaza alive and dead returned within 72 hours, and Palestinian prisoners released. The Gaza Strip is to be temporarily governed by a Palestinian technocratic government, with no role for Hamas, and Israel will not annex Gaza.
The world at large and especially peace loving people have welcomed the plan, which brightens prospects of an immediate halt to the ongoing genocide of Gazans and also addresses fears about forcible eviction of the natives in the face of daily blood bath at the hands of Jewish forces. It was in this backdrop that Pakistan, which played an active role in the peace-making process, welcomed the plan in the hope it will bring an end to the miseries of Palestinian people. In a post on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared himself “convinced that durable peace between the Palestinian people and Israel would be essential in bringing political stability and economic growth to the region”, adding a two-state proposal was “essential to ensure lasting peace in the region”. Similarly, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador AsimIftikhar Ahmad told the Council members that Islamabad would actively participate in the consultative process to support a sustainable resolution. These welcome statements are strictly in line with the consistent policy of Pakistan on the longstanding Middle-East conflict and its unflinching support for the just cause of Palestinians and establishment of their independent state. However, some unscrupulous elements and those with opposing political agenda have started criticizing the policy and approach of the Government without any cogent reason. They easily forgot that the UN as well as all just-minded members of the global community tried their level best to help stop the genocide but all such efforts could not bring any relief to Gazans and instead their agonies increased with the passage of every day during the last two years. With this in view, those opposing the plan, cannot be considered as sympathizers of Palestinians as their sentimental statements are unlikely to make any difference in the pathetic conditions of Gazans. As is evident from the statements of the PM and our Permanent Representative to the UN, the plan is not a final solution but details a mechanism to end the war and rebuild the territory massively bombed by Israel over 24 months. It is an undeniable reality that the plan has not only been supported by Pakistan but the entire Muslim world. Behind this historic initiative are the joint efforts of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Muslim countries. Reports also indicate, the majority of Hamas and the Palestinian leadership support this agreement, which makes it acceptable to the Palestinian people. This is, of course, not a final solution but the first important milestone that paves the way for establishment of an independent Palestinian state. A clear roadmap has emerged for the purpose and hopefully, with the support of all important players, the agreement will lay a lasting foundation for durable peace and a Palestinian state. Pakistan’s position has always been clear and unequivocal that the Palestinian people should be given their right to self-determination, and an independent Palestinian state should be established according to the 1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. Pakistan has neither recognized Israel in the past, nor has it done so today, nor will it do so in the future until the Palestinian people get their legitimate rights. In view of the principled position of Pakistan on the issues involved, baseless propaganda amounts to distorting the stand of the country and harming the interests of Palestinians. Saner people have a sense of pride thatPakistan is part of the process that has brought the entire Muslim orld on the one page while opponents are showing insensitivitytowards seventy thousand innocent souls martyred during the last two year in Gaza.
