• PM Shehbaz, FM Dar join leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye and Indonesia for multilateral meeting
• US president calls for immediate end to war, tells Muslim leaders ‘this is the group that can do it’
• Opposes recognition of Palestine statehood in UNGA speech; Rubio says permanent solution only possible through ‘negotiated settlement’

NEW YORK: After an antagonistic speech at the UN General Assembly, where he opposed a growing global push towards the recognition of a Palestinian state, US President Donald Trump met Muslim leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to present his plan to end Israel’s war on Gaza.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of the 80th UNGA at United Nations Headquarters, brought together leaders from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye and Indonesia.

Ahead of the meeting, in a televised interaction with Muslim leaders, Trump said: “We have to get the hostages back… This is the group that can do it, more than any other group in the world… so it’s an honour to be with you.”

“We had 32 meetings here, this is the one that’s very important because we’re gonna end something that should’ve probably never started,” he said, before the start of formal consultations with world leaders.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani thanked the president for hosting such an important meeting at such an important time, saying that they were only there to stop the war and bring the prisoners back.

“We count on your leadership as well to end this war and to help the people of Gaza,” the Qatari leader said.

‘Stop the war immediately’

Earlier, in his speech at the UNGA, Trump said that greater recognition for Palestine would amount to rewarding “horrible atrocities” by Hamas.

He called on world powers to focus instead on securing the release of prisoners held in Gaza.

Trump said the US wants a ‘ceasefire-for-prisoners’ deal that would see the return of all remaining prisoners, alive and dead.

“We have to stop the war in Gaza immediately. We have to immediately negotiate peace,” he said.

Reacting to Trump’s address, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the US leader’s “commitment to establishing peace in the world,” saying it showed he was “indeed a man of peace”.

He also recalled that Trump and his team had “played a crucial role in preventing a potentially devastating war between India and Pakistan,” adding: “For that we thank him from the depths of our hearts.”

The remarks came ahead of the multi-lateral meeting with Muslim leaders, where Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also accompanied PM.

When asked about the upcoming meeting by reporters, PM Shehbaz refused to comment, saying: “It is not the right time; I will speak about it only after the meeting is over.”

The PM Office also released pictures showing PM Shehbaz in a meeting with Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

Both the White House and Pakistan’s mission in Washington were expected to hold a briefing after the meeting, but no formal statements were issued until going to press.

Plan for peace

According to the White House, Trump’s plan envisions a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the deployment of regional peacekeeping troops, and an internationally supported transition and reconstruction process for the battered enclave.

Quoting diplomatic sources, Israel’s Channel 12 and US-based Axios reported that while the plan had not been drafted by Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been made aware of its outlines.

It envisages a role for the Palestinian Authority (PA), but not for Hamas, which both Washington and Tel Aviv insist must be dismantled.

Washington wants Arab and Muslim countries to agree to send military forces to Gaza to enable Israel’s withdrawal and to secure funding for transition and rebuilding programs, Axios reported.

Ahead of the multilateral meeting, Sec­retary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News that the only way to a permanent solution to the “challenge between Palestinians and Israelis is a negotiated settlement”.

Describing the possible deal, he said it would be “one in which the Palestinians are going to have a territory and they’re going to govern it, but it cannot be one that’s going to be used as a launchpad for attacks against Israel.”

In separate remarks to CBS News, he described the multilateral meeting as “one last shot” at ending the conflict in Gaza, getting all remaining prisoners released, and putting in place a humanitarian relief programme.

With input from AFP and Reuters

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2025