Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will visit Egypt on Oct. 13 to participate in the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit and attend the signing ceremony of the peace agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza, Pakistan's foreign ministry said. The visit comes at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and US President Donald Trump. Sharif will be accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister and other senior ministers. "The Prime Minister's participation in the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit reflects Pakistan's historic, consistent, and unwavering support for the just cause of the Palestinian people for their right to self-determination as well as for achieving lasting peace and stability in the region," the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. The summit is the result of diplomatic efforts that began on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month, where the leaders of Pakistan and seven Arab-Islamic countries met with President Trump to explore avenues for peace. Pakistan hopes the summit will pave the way for a full Israeli withdrawal, the protection of Palestinian civilians, an end to their displacement, the release of prisoners, and the reconstruction of Gaza, the statement said. It added that Pakistan also hopes these efforts will contribute to a credible political process aimed at achieving an independent, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on pre-1967 borders, in line with relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
