Dar touts 20-point Gaza peace deal as ‘only possible solution’ to war

Islamabad
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar reaffirmed on Friday his commitment to the Palestinian cause in the National Assembly, assuring the House that the 20-point peace deal is the only possible solution to end the Gaza war.
He underscored that the priority right now is to end the bloodshed and put a stop to the war.
Dar clarified that Pakistan with seven other countries had recieved the 20-point agenda from the US. “There was no other item on the agenda during the meeting,” he said, adding that it was agreed to keep the discussions confidential.
According to the DPM, Qatar’s embassy was the convener for these meetings, which were not released to the media. “[United States] President [Donald] Trump’s committee also came and open talks were held on what they wanted…They gave us a 20-point proposal.”
“Using the given framework, we made our own amendments based on our wishlist and submitted the changes to the US.”
Trump disclosed the 20-point peace plan on Monday alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, prompting questions on whether the initiative would lead to a two-state solution. The deal has been met with criticism and concerns that Pakistan is waivering from its commitment to the Palestine cause.
Dar has consistently dismissed such claims. He insisted that there was no change in Pakistan’s principled stance on the issue of Palestine, underscoring that Islamabad supports a two-state solution with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al Sharif as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
The plan, backed by eight Muslim states — Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt — aims to enforce a ceasefire, protect civilians and begin rebuilding war-torn areas.
Dar confirmed that under the proposed agreement, an international peacekeeping contingent would be deployed to Palestine. He said Pakistan’s leadership would soon decide whether to contribute troops, noting that Indonesia has already offered to send 20,000 soldiers.
The minister insisted that after the public release of the 20-point deal, conversations with his Saudi counterpart concluded with the realisation that ending the war still remains of utmost importance and rejecting the deal “would allow the bloodshed to continue”.
Assuring parliament that this was the best course of action, Dar proclaimed that the United Nations and the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation have both failed to reach a peace deal. “With the US, we can see an end to the war.”