ISLAMABAD — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar clarified on Friday that the Gaza peace plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump was not prepared by Pakistan, but stressed that the issue leaves no space for political point-scoring.

Addressing the National Assembly, Dar reiterated remarks he had earlier made at a press briefing in Islamabad. “The 20 points announced by President Trump are not ours. Our draft was altered — I have the record,” he said, adding, “This is the final outcome, and we must not politicise it. Unless we had abandoned the process altogether, this was the only way forward.”

Dar explained that Pakistan, along with seven other Muslim and Arab states — Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt — met Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss a way to end Israel’s assault on Gaza.

He revealed that the Qatari embassy coordinated closed-door consultations with the US team. “They presented us with a 20-point proposal. Rather than drafting a new plan, we agreed to work within that framework, suggesting amendments and deletions according to our joint stance,” he said.

After 24 hours of deliberations and multiple meetings, the eight countries prepared a counter-draft which was conveyed to Washington before Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Dar said he was later informed that while some Muslim states wanted all eight ministers to sign the document, others deemed it unnecessary.

During the Trump-Netanyahu meeting, the US president announced a 20-point Gaza plan. According to Dar, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister later informed him that several urgent proposals made by the Muslim bloc were incorporated, though some issues still required further dialogue.

“At that point, there were two options: either continue negotiating while Israel’s attacks persisted, or allow Trump’s plan to move forward and issue a joint statement. I agreed we should proceed,” Dar said. The joint communiqué was subsequently finalised.

He emphasised that the choice was pragmatic, given the failure of other forums to halt Israel’s aggression. “Mere statements are not enough — we need concrete steps,” he said, thanking the other participating countries for their cooperation.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to the Palestinian cause, Dar warned against domestic political divisions. “This is not a matter for politicking; it is about standing with Gaza,” he concluded