Minister for Planning and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal. PHOTO: APP
ISLAMABAD:
The government stood by its decision to join the US-led peace council on Friday, selling Pakistan’s participation as a diplomatic opening of Gaza, as controversy over the move refused to die down and spilled onto the floor of parliament again.
The opposition parties questioned both the credibility of the forum and the process to which Islamabad signed up.
Addressing a joint meeting, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal defended Pakistan’s presence “at the centre” alongside brotherly Muslim countries, claiming it was a “diplomatic victory”.
The minister explained that staying away would have left Islamabad out in the cold at a critical time for the Palestinian cause.
He maintained that Pakistan had a long track record of independent foreign policy decision-making and insisted that membership of the Peace Council neither compromised national sovereignty nor crossed any red lines of core principles.
But the government’s defense did little to cool tempers across the aisle. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman rejected the forum outright, denouncing it as an instrument of coercion rather than peace, warning that participation under its current framework would amount to submission rather than diplomacy.
Speaking in Parliament, Ahsan Iqbal recalled that Pakistan withstood intense international pressure even at crucial times in its history. He said that when the United States made repeated calls to halt Pakistan’s nuclear tests, the country chose sovereignty over submission.
“We are the custodians of Pakistan’s security and independence,” he said, adding that no one could accuse the government of cowardice or negligence. “If anyone casts an evil eye on Pakistan, we will tear it out,” he said.
Acknowledging the deep anguish caused by the devastation in Gaza, Iqbal said Pakistani hearts were “torn apart” by the suffering of the Palestinians. He argued that if Pakistan had stayed away from the forum, critics would have accused it of abandoning Gaza.
“By standing with brotherly Muslim countries, Pakistan can contribute to peace efforts,” he said, naming Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as Muslim allies participating in the initiative.
“Aren’t they Muslim countries? Aren’t they Pakistan’s friends?” he asked.
‘Peace threatened’
Addressing the joint session, the JUI-F chief further said that if Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wanted to accept “slavery”, they were free to do so but his party would not.
“If I could stand up against General Pervez Musharraf, I can also stand up against them,” he said, adding that “herding 250 million people is not acceptable.”
He questioned why Pakistan joined the forum when its basic points had already been changed. He accused Trump of strengthening Israel’s aggression and openly threatening Hamas.
“This is a forum that begins with threats,” he said, recalling the destruction of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. He warned that following Israel’s actions against Iran, the region, including Pakistan, could be drawn into future conflict.
Fazl said Pakistan was rushing to appease “an idol in the form of Donald Trump” and argued that the US had failed Pakistan in the past and would do so again.
He questioned the government’s logic in sitting with Israel on the grounds that it was present at the UN and asked why Pakistani passports still banned travel to Israel if such engagement was justified.
The Maulana also criticized the Prime Minister for not taking Parliament or even the Cabinet into confidence before joining the board and questioned whether the government had signed the charter without reading it in full.
He recalled that even the Secretary of State had admitted that Trump’s initial points were not the same as those that were ultimately agreed upon.
The JUI-F chief warned that disarming Hamas would amount to dismantling Palestinian resistance.
“The Palestinians are fighting a war of liberation,” he said, accusing the Muslim world of promoting Trump’s agenda in the name of peace. He urged Parliament to reject the Peace Council in its present terms and urged Parliament to pass a resolution against it.
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, also blasted Pakistan’s participation, saying the world was going through a sensitive moment.
He said the people of Gaza were fighting for freedom and noted that the International Court of Justice had declared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a terrorist. “What Netanyahu could not achieve through force is now being attempted through the so-called peace agency,” he said.
He pointed out that the Palestinians had no representation on the board and said that Pakistan’s honor would be enhanced by openly declaring Netanyahu a terrorist.
“We don’t even know what the points of this board are,” he said, adding that it should be called an “occupation board” rather than a peace initiative.
He urged Parliament to pass a resolution against what he calls the question of national dignity, honor and conscience.
Outside Parliament, the Maulana reiterated his stance while addressing reporters, saying Muslim countries were facilitating Israel under US pressure.
“It’s called peace, but the threats that accompany it reveal the true intentions,” he said, adding that disarming Hamas would mean stripping Palestinians of their right to resist the occupation.
During his speech, Fazl also criticized recent legislation, especially laws related to marriage of minors, declaring them un-Islamic.
He said such laws should have been referred to the Council of Islamic Ideology and warned that he would openly defy them, including by solemnizing underage marriages.
“Either honor the oath taken in the name of the Islamic Republic or remove the word ‘Islamic’,” he said, challenging the state to act against him.
