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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed hope that United States (US) President Donald Trump’s meeting with Muslim leaders this week will bear “encouraging” results for Gaza, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday.

Trump held the multilateral meeting with the leaders of Pakistan, ��������, United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Indonesia and others on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session.

The US President had presented them with a 21-point peace plan for the Middle East and Gaza, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Wednesday, adding that he is confident of “some sort of breakthrough.”

The meeting came at a crucial time for the Middle East region as Israel has ramped up its military operations in Gaza, where it has killed over 65,000 people since October 2023, with Muslim nations urging the international community to hold Tel Aviv accountable.

“Consultations with Arab and Islamic countries led by US President Donald Trump will produce encouraging results on the Gaza issue,” the state-run APP news agency quoted Sharif as telling overseas Pakistanis in London.

Sharif was accompanied by Pakistan’s deputy premier and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, who said the leaders of five Arab countries, ��������, UAE, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt, and three non-Arab Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Turkiye and Indonesia, had exchanged views with Trump on the Gaza issue.

“The meetings continued even after the initial meeting and that this will yield positive results on the Gaza issue, which will be shared with the nation,” he was quoted as saying.

Pakistan does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for a two-state solution to resolve the Middle East crisis. Islamabad supports an independent Palestinian state as per the aspirations of the Palestinian people, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital and according to the pre-1967 borders.

Trump expressed optimism on Sunday about reaching a deal to end the war in Gaza, saying there is “a real chance for greatness in the Middle East” ahead of talks on Monday with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

The US president did not provide specific details of a prospective ceasefire.

“We have a real chance for Greatness in the Middle East. All are on board for something special, first time ever. We will get it done,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

The statement came as Israeli tanks moved deeper into Gaza City’s residential districts on Sunday as local health authorities said they have been unable to respond to dozens of desperate calls, expressing concern about the fate of residents in the targeted areas.

The Israeli military launched its long-threatened ground offensive on Gaza City on September 16 after weeks of intensifying strikes on the urban center, forcing hundreds of Palestinians to flee although many still remain.

Hamas, which Israel has demanded surrender, said Sunday it had not received a new proposal from mediators, after Trump said Friday that “a deal on Gaza” seemed likely.

DUBAI: India spinner Kuldeep Yadav took four wickets to trigger a batting collapse and bowl Pakistan out for 146 in the Asia Cup final with no handshakes between the sides again on Sunday.

The two neighbors came into the title clash with tensions high from their previous two clashes in the competition, which witnessed political posturing and aggressive on-field behavior at the same venue in Dubai.

Pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah raised the heat when he bowled Haris Rauf for six and made a gesture similar to the one the Pakistan bowler had done to the crowd in the previous meeting between the two teams.

Put in to bat after no handshakes in the toss, Pakistan started strongly as openers Sahibzada Farhan, who made 57, and Fakhar Zaman, who made 46, put on 84 runs but the team slipped from 113-1 to be bowled out in 19.1 overs.

Farhan fell after his second fifty in this edition of the regional tournament played in the T20 format after the batter attempted a second successive six off spinner Varun Chakravarthy.

Zaman took charge and along with Saim Ayub kept up the attack with regular boundaries until Kuldeep struck in the 13th over.

Ayub fell to Kuldeep’s left-arm wrist spin as Pakistan lost six wickets for 21 runs.

Zaman fell short of his fifty and Kuldeep struck with three wickets in the 17th over, including skipper Salman Agha for eight.

Bumrah got Rauf and then Mohammad Nawaz to wrap up the innings in 19.1 overs.

Defending champions India and Pakistan are playing a final in the Asia Cup for the first time in the tournament’s 41-year history.

India and Pakistan met earlier in the competition for the first time after deadly fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbors, who have not played a bilateral series in over a decade.

The two only meet in multi-nation tournaments at neutral venues as part of a compromise deal.

India comfortably won both their games in the tournament, but in the Super Four clash Farhan mimicked a gun celebration after his half-century.

Rauf made gestures appearing to mock India’s military action during the four-day border conflict in May that left more than 70 people dead.

In the group match, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav had refused to shake hands with Pakistan counterpart Agha and the two teams kept up the stance in the second match.

The Asia Cup is widely seen as a dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February-March of next year.