BAKU – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed US President Donald Trump’s “bold and decisive leadership” for mediating a ceasefire between Pakistan and India during their explosive May confrontation.
In his speech at Azerbaijan’s Victory Day parade in Baku, the prmeier called Trump’s leadership “exemplary,” crediting him for restoring peace in South Asia when tensions were at their peak. “It was President Trump’s bold and decisive leadership that brought about the ceasefire between Pakistan and India, restoring peace in South Asia, averting a major war, and saving millions of people,” Shehbaz said.
براہِ راست: وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف کا آزربائیجان کے یوم فتح کے حوالے سے تقریب سے خطاب https://t.co/9yl8I99rzM
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) November 8, 2025
His bold statements sparked buzz in diplomatic circles, as this was one of the strongest public endorsements of Trump’s mediation efforts by a South Asian leader.
Shehbaz said his country seeks peace just like its “Azerbaijani and Turkish brothers,” but warned that no one would ever be allowed to challenge its sovereignty or territorial integrity.
He fondly recalled the sight of Azerbaijani and Turkish military contingents proudly marching alongside Pakistani forces during Islamabad’s August 14 celebrations, a grand event titled “Marka-i-Haq” commemorating Pakistan’s “historic victory” in its four-day clash with India earlier this year.
According to the prime minister, the Pakistan Army had formally designated the conflict, spanning from the April 22 Pahalgam attack to the May 10 conclusion of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos.
Turning to Azerbaijan’s own victory, PM Shehbaz praised President Ilham Aliyev’s visionary leadership, calling 2020 liberation of Karabakh a “glorious vindication” of justice and a beacon of hope for nations fighting for sovereignty and self-determination, including Gaza and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
“Five years ago, the courageous sons of Azerbaijan, under President Aliyev’s bold leadership, rose to the call of history. The world watched in awe as Azerbaijan’s brave forces liberated their ancestral lands of Karabakh,” Shehbaz said.
Sharif also addressed recent flare-up with Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, calling it as a major test of Pakistan’s resolve for peace. He thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for their “invaluable contributions” in facilitating peace efforts between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
This is a true reflection of the strong and time-tested fraternal ties between our nations that stand together through thick and thin,” he said.
