Islamabad, October 12, 2025 – Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will embark on a pivotal diplomatic mission to Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh on October 13, at the joint invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump. The visit underscores Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to resolving the Gaza crisis, as Sharif joins world leaders for the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit and the signing ceremony of a landmark peace agreement aimed at halting the devastating humanitarian catastrophe in the war-torn enclave.
Accompanying the Prime Minister will be Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, along with a high-level delegation of senior cabinet ministers, signaling Islamabad’s all-in approach to Middle East stability. The summit, co-chaired by El-Sisi and Trump, draws over 20 global leaders—including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II—to seal a comprehensive ceasefire, facilitate hostage releases, and chart a path for Gaza’s reconstruction. Notably absent are Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas representatives, with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also sidelined, highlighting the delicate balance of guarantors in this U.S.-brokered deal.
This gathering builds directly on the diplomatic momentum ignited last month during the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York. On September 23, Sharif convened with Trump and leaders from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Indonesia, and Türkiye for a summit-level huddle on Gaza’s plight. That meeting, held amid the UN’s anniversary reflections on global peace, yielded a joint communiqué praising Trump’s mediation and recommitting to a “comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire,” unhindered humanitarian aid, and lasting stability in the region. As Sharif addressed the UNGA, he decried Israel’s “genocidal onslaught” in Gaza—where over 66,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have perished since October 2023—and amplified calls for an immediate halt to the suffering, particularly among the enclave’s starving children.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office statement frames Sharif’s participation as a vivid testament to Islamabad’s “historic, consistent, and unwavering support” for Palestinian self-determination. The nation, which has long championed the cause through aid convoys and UN advocacy, envisions the summit paving the way for Israeli forces’ full withdrawal, civilian protections, the return of displaced families, prisoner exchanges, and urgent reconstruction amid Gaza’s “alarming” malnutrition crisis, as flagged by the World Health Organization.
