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ISLAMABAD: The foreign ministers of Pakistan, ����ֱ��, the UAE, Indonesia, Turkiye, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan this week backed US President Donald Trump’s plan to restore peace in Gaza, reaffirming their readiness to engage constructively with Washington and all parties toward finalizing and implementing the agreement. 

Trump’s proposal, contained in a 20-point document released by the White House, includes a ceasefire agreement, an exchange of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza with the assistance of the international community.

The American president presented his Gaza and the Middle East peace plan during his meeting with the leaders of Pakistan, ����ֱ��, UAE, Turkiye, Indonesia and other Muslim states in New York last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session.

“The foreign ministers of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Türkiye, the Kingdom of ����ֱ�� and the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt welcome President Donald J Trump’s leadership and his sincere efforts to end the war in Gaza, and assert their confidence in his ability to find a path to peace,” a joint statement from all countries, shared by Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Monday night, read. 

The statement said the ministers welcomed Trump’s proposal to end Israel’s war in Gaza, rebuild the area and the American president’s announcement that he would not allow the West Bank’s annexation. 

“The ministers affirm their readiness to engage positively and constructively with the United States and the parties toward finalizing the agreement and ensuring its implementation, in a manner that ensures peace, security, and stability for the peoples of the region,” the joint statement said. 

The foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to work with Washington on a “comprehensive deal” that ensures unrestricted delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid to Gaza, no displacement of the Palestinians, the release of hostages, a security mechanism that guarantees the security of all sides and full Israeli withdrawal, the statement said. 

The joint statement also said the Muslim nations would back the deal to bring peace in the region on the basis of the two state solution, “under which Gaza is fully integrated with the West Bank in a Palestinian state in accordance with international law as key to achieving regional stability and security.”

The joint statement came a few hours after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif backed Trump’s Gaza peace plan, praising the American president for his leadership and efforts to bring an end to the nearly two-year-old Israeli onslaught. 

Separately, Pakistan’s Deputy PM Ishaq Dar received a call from ����ֱ��’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Monday night, the Pakistani foreign office said. The two leaders discussed the Gaza peace plan during their conversation. 

“Both leaders reaffirmed the importance of coordinated regional and international diplomacy to bring an immediate end to the suffering of the Palestinian people and toward a just and lasting peace,” the foreign office said. 
Israel has killed over 66,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, angering Muslim nations worldwide, who have held massive protests to demand an end to Israel’s military operations in occupied Palestinian territories. 

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also backed Trump’s plan. However, some elements seem to contradict the previously stated views of his government, in particular those related to the possibility of the Palestinian Authority eventually governing Gaza.

The plan also requires agreement from Hamas, which would be required to voluntarily disarm, effectively surrendering. Trump warned that should the group reject the deal, he could give Israeli authorities even more of a free hand to continue their military campaign in the war-ravaged territory.

ISLAMABAD: A deadlock persists between protesters and the Azad Kashmir government over a 38-point charter of demands laid by the demonstrators, Pakistan Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ameer Muqam said on Monday, with clashes between rival groups killing at least one person.

The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) has laid a 38-point charter of demands before the Azad Kashmir government, which includes removal of perks of the ruling elites, ending 12 seats in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Assembly reserved for Kashmiri migrants who came from the Indian-side of the territory, and royalty for hydel power projects in Azad Kashmir.

The JKJAAC, which has organized several protests in Azad Kashmir in recent years to demand resolution of public issues with some of them even turning violent, on Monday went ahead with its call for an indefinite “lockdown” and staged protests at multiple locations in the territory. A clash between JKJAAC and the Muslim Conference, which supports the AJK government, in Muzaffarabad killed one person.

The situation prompted Muqam to hold negotiations with JKJAAC representatives this week that failed to yield results as a deadlock persisted between the two sides, mainly over the dissolution of AJK Assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri migrants who came from the Indian side of the territory.

“I stand here and on behalf of the Government of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, I want to say this again... we believe in talks,” he told reporters in Islamabad. “If there are genuine problems, they should be resolved through talks and dialogue.”

He confirmed the killing of a man in the clash between Muslim Conference and JKJAAC supporters.

“I say this with sorrow that in this [clash], a citizen, Muhammad Sudhir, son of Muhammad Rehman, died and a few people were injured,” he said. “This is a matter of great sadness and regret.”

The development came a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) to withdraw its call for lockdown, a senior member of Sharif’s party said on Sunday.

“’I will reach Pakistan within next two days’,” Mushtaq Minhas, a member of Sharif’s PML-N party, quoted the Pakistan premier as telling him at their meeting in London. “The prime minister said, ‘We will contact the Joint Action Committee, I will have its representatives invited’.”

Minhas said the prime minister promised to resolve the issues faced by all the Kashmiri people, not just the joint action committee.

“Whatever issues are being faced by the Kashmiris, he will, God willing, play his role regarding their resolution,” he added.

The JKJAAC staged a similar protest in Nov. last year that continued for days and ended after assurances by the AJK government to meet their demands.

In May 2024, at least three protesters and a police officer were killed and several others wounded in days of clashes between demonstrators demanding subsidies on wheat flour and electricity and law enforcement in Azad Kashmir, according to officials.

The protests were called off after Pakistan announced $83 million subsidies and prompted the regional government to notify a reduction in prices of wheat flour and electricity.

The Himalayan territory of Kashmir has been divided between Pakistan and India since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both sides claim it in full but rule in part and have fought multiple wars over the region.

The protest in Azad Kashmir comes days after demonstrations demanding greater political autonomy in Ladakh, Indian-administered Kashmir turned violent in the sparsely populated, high-altitude region bordering China and Pakistan.

New Delhi blamed the unrest on “provocative speeches” by prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike demanding either full federal statehood for Ladakh or constitutional protections for its tribal communities, land and fragile environment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government split Ladakh off from Indian-administered Kashmir in 2019, imposing direct rule on both. New Delhi has yet to fulfil its promise to include Ladakh in the “Sixth Schedule” of India’s constitution, which allows people to make their own laws and policies.