Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is all set to attend the inaugural session of US President Donald Trump-led Board of Peace on February 19 in Washington, sources confirmed to Geo News on Tuesday.
Sources added that the government of Pakistan has formally informed the Gaza Peace Board about the prime minister’s participation in the inaugural session.
The planned meeting was first reported US media outlet by Axios, which said the gathering would also serve as a fundraising conference for the reconstruction of Gaza. The meeting would be held at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, DC.
“We can confirm the Board of Peace meeting is scheduled on February 19th,” the official said in a statement to Reuters.
Last month, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said that Pakistan would continue to engage with international efforts aimed at peace and security in Gaza.
“Pakistan will remain engaged with international efforts for peace and security in Gaza, leading to a lasting solution to the Palestine issue in accordance with United Nations resolutions,” he said.
Pakistan has reiterated at international forums its readiness to play a “constructive role” in the US peace plan for Palestine.
US President Donald Trump launched his new board at World Economic Forum in Davos in late January, with world leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, signing on to pursue a lasting agreement for Gaza.
A group of leaders and senior officials from 19 countries — including Trump allies from Argentina and Hungary — gathered on stage with the US president to put their names to the founding charter of the body.
Gaza ceasefire violations
Governments around the world have reacted cautiously to Trump’s invitation to join the initiative. While some of Washington’s Middle Eastern allies have joined, many of its traditional Western allies have thus far stayed away. Permanent membership on the board costs $1 billion.
A UN Security Council resolution, adopted in mid-November, authorised the board and countries working with it to establish an international stabilisation force in Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire began in October under a Trump plan on which Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas signed off.
Under Trump’s Gaza plan, revealed late last year, the board was meant to supervise Gaza’s temporary governance. Trump thereafter said it would be expanded to tackle global conflicts.
A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the planned Board of Peace meeting.
Many rights experts say that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s affairs resembled a colonial structure and have criticised the board for not including a Palestinian.
The fragile ceasefire in Gaza has been repeatedly violated, with over 550 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers reported killed since the truce began in October.
