Trump to meet Pak PM, other Arab leaders in 'multilateral meeting' at UNGA

Washington, Sep 23 (IANS) The White House on Monday announced that US President Donald Trump will meet a select group of leaders of Muslim countries, including Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings in New York.

Announcing Trump’s schedule for the UNGA on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump will hold a “multilateral meeting with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, the UAE and Jordan” on Tuesday.

The meeting is expected to explore potential diplomatic, political, and humanitarian options aimed at bringing an end to the ongoing war in Gaza, with participants expected to deliberate on pathways towards de-escalation, ceasefire arrangements, and long-term stability in the region.

Earlier, Pakistani media reported that a separate bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Trump was also under consideration. But the White House announced that Trump will only meet bilaterally with the “UN Secretary General, and the leaders of Ukraine, Argentina and the European Union.”

The US President has already engaged with Pakistan’s military leadership, having hosted Army Chief Asim Munir for a lunch meeting in June.

Trump, in his second term, has signed a number of deals with Islamabad, including on critical minerals, oil and cryptocurrencies.

Pakistan has also secured a favourable 19 per cent tariff rate. On multiple occasions, Trump has touted his role in ending the India-Pakistan conflict in May after the killing of 26 Indian tourists in Pahalgam in April by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.

The Indian government has denied Trump’s claims of mediation and asserted that the conflict ended after Pakistani military leaders phoned their Indian counterparts.

Pakistan was also one of the first countries to nominate President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, and reportedly played a mediating role in the Iran-Israel war in June.

--IANS

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