• Foreign minister distances Islamabad from 20-point plan by White House; insists Pakistan’s policy on Palestine remains ‘unchanged’
• Says several states eyeing Saudi-style defence pacts; claims controversial ‘speechwriter’ was not part of ‘official UN team’
• Return of flotilla activists being negotiated through ‘European country’ in absence of ties with Tel Aviv
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday stressed that the United States was now “the only hope” after the United Nations, European Union and Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) had failed to secure peace in Gaza.
Making a policy statement in the National Assembly, Mr Dar again distanced the government from US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza “peace plan”, saying it differed from a draft jointly prepared by eight Muslim countries and shared with Washington.
He said the prime minister’s initial statement welcoming the plan was issued while in transit, while he was “unaware of the changes”.
“Pakistan’s policy on Palestine is what was the policy of the Quaid-i-Azam. There was no change, there is no change and there will be no change in it,” he assured the House.
Reiterating the country’s consistent and principled position, he said that the two-state solution was the only viable path to a just and lasting peace, through the establishment of a contiguous, independent and sovereign state of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Mr Dar also disclosed that several Arab and non-Arab countries had expressed interest in concluding security agreements with Pakistan, along the lines of the recent ‘strategic mutual defence’ pact with Saudi Arabia. He cautioned, however, that decisions on such requests would “take some time”.
He said several foreign ministers had raised the proposal with him on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. He likened multiple countries signing bilateral pacts with Pakistan to the formation of an “eastern Nato”, without explaining how separate arrangements could evolve into a multilateral bloc.
“It is my faith that Pakistan will one day lead the Islamic ummah,” he said. “Allah Almighty has made you a nuclear and missile power and now you are to become an economic power,” adding that this would require unity.
He said talks on the Saudi agreement had been underway for about one and a half years, beginning during the PDM government. “We are fortunate to have been included among the defenders of Haramain Sharifain,” he remarked.
He also read out the joint statement, issued alongside seven other Muslim countries following consultations in New York, which called for unrestricted humanitarian aid to Gaza, no displacement of Palestinians, full Israeli withdrawal, reconstruction of Gaza and a credible path to a two-state peace with Gaza fully integrated with the West Bank.
He said the focus would remain on these objectives, including holding Israel accountable, and noted that the Palestinian Authority had accepted the plan.
Responding to opposition questions about British-Pakistani activist Shama Junejo’s presence at UN-related events in New York, Mr Dar clarified she was not part of the official government delegation. “Her involvement was confined to civil society interactions and did not reflect state policy,” he said.
Flotilla
Mr Dar also briefed the House on Pakistanis aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla seized by Israeli forces, condemning the interception as a violation of international maritime law and humanitarian principles.
He said Islamabad was pursuing diplomatic channels, including through an “influential European country”, to secure their safe return.
Israel on Friday deported four Italian activists, the first of hundreds detained from the aid flotilla, shortly after the interception of the group’s final boat brought an end to its mission.
The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail last month, ferrying politicians and activists including former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan and Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg towards Gaza.
The Israeli navy began intercepting the boats on Wednesday, and an Israeli official said the following day that boats with more than 400 people on board had been prevented from reaching the Palestinian territory.
The military said on Friday that the navy had stopped all 42 of the fleet’s vessels “in an operation that lasted approximately 12 hours”, and transferred flotilla members to Israel’s Ashdod Port for processing by police.
Israel’s foreign ministry said it deported four Italian activists who were aboard the flotilla, adding that “the rest are in the process of being deported”.
Videos circulating on social media showed far-right Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, as they were in Israeli custody.
Videos showed him pointing at the detained activists, and calling them “terrorists.”
The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza condemned his actions, saying that it was not surprising “for the criminals of genocide to send their minister swaggering before activists from 50 countries around the world, surrounded by his guards”.
PM asked to apologise
Earlier, PTI leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser demanded that the prime minister apologise for “hurting public sentiments” on Palestine, saying no decision would be acceptable without the will of the Palestinian people. He said Haramain Sharifain were central to Pakistanis’ beliefs and that the nation would stand united for their defence.
“If anyone dares to cast an evil eye towards the Haramain, the entire Pakistani nation will stand united in their defence,” he said.
He criticised the government for failing to take parliament into confidence on key national decisions.
The PTI leader stated that Mr Dar’s clarification regarding Shama Junejo had raised further questions. He said the foreign minister had admitted she was the prime minister’s speechwriter and therefore responsibility rested with the premier.
Commenting on the recent “Trump peace deal”, Mr Qaiser said no Muslim leader had endorsed the agreement, yet Pakistan’s prime minister, “in a display of sycophancy”, acknowledged an incomplete agreement through a tweet.
“If the deal was so good, why did the Palestinians reject it?” he asked. He noted that over 60,000 innocent Palestinians had been martyred in a brutal campaign of genocide, the likes of which the world had rarely witnessed.
Mr Qaiser categorically stated that Pakistan’s 250 million people would never accept recognition of Israel. “Any peace accord is incomplete without the recognition of an independent Palestinian state, with Al-Quds as its capital,” he asserted.
Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2025
