ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on October 13 to participate in a high-level international summit focused on achieving a permanent end to the Gaza conflict, Pakistan’s Foreign Office announced Sunday.
Egypt, the summit’s host nation, stated the gathering seeks “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability.”
The summit will be jointly led by the US President and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, with representatives from more than 20 countries expected to attend. Notably, no Israeli officials will participate in the forum.
The meeting comes as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas entered its third day Sunday. The truce, mediated by the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye, represents the first phase of an agreement that includes a ceasefire, mutual release of hostages and prisoners, Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, and expanded humanitarian assistance.
“The Sharm el-Sheikh Summit is the result of diplomatic efforts that began on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 80th Session in New York last month,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office stated.
“The Prime Minister’s participation in the Summit reflects Pakistan’s historic, consistent, and unwavering support for the just cause of the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination, as well as for achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.”
Pakistan expressed hope the summit would advance “full Israeli withdrawal, protection of Palestinian civilians, an end to their displacement, release of prisoners, addressing the prevailing grave humanitarian situation, as well as reconstruction of Gaza.”
The Foreign Office added that Pakistan seeks 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.”
Since October 7, 2023, the Gaza conflict has claimed more than 67,000 Palestinian lives and injured over 170,000, according to health authorities. The war has displaced more than 1.9 million people, devastated much of the coastal enclave, and created a severe humanitarian emergency.
