Says Trump expressed ‘well wishes’ for Pakistan; Hope forum will help establish peace in Gaza
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the Pakistani community and businessmen on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday. — SCREEN GRAB
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that the federal cabinet had approved the decision regarding Pakistan’s inclusion in US President Donald Trump’s Peace Council.
The prime minister, who was in Davos to sign the board’s charter as part of efforts to support the implementation of the Gaza peace plan, had joined other world leaders in backing the initiative.
Trump launched the peace board, initially focused on cementing the Gaza ceasefire, on Thursday but said it could later take on a broader role that may worry other global powers.
Pakistan was among the countries invited to join the board. The government’s decision was heavily criticized by opposition lawmakers who attacked the government for carrying out such a move without parliamentary input.
Speaking to the media outside the Pakistan High Commission in London, the prime minister said: “Pakistan received the invitation to join the Peace Council, so with consultation the Cabinet gave approval to join it and we did so with the hope that peace will be established in Gaza, there will be reconstruction, the Palestinians will have their rights with respect and peace will be established in the region.”
He said his visit to Davos was very productive. “I had a meeting with the managing director of the International Monetary Fund in Davos,” he added, describing the meeting as a “very good” one and saying the fund chief had praised Pakistan’s efforts.
Prime Minister Shehbaz also said he met Trump on his visit to Davos, who conveyed goodwill to Pakistan, adding that a ceasefire brokered with Trump’s support saved “millions of lives” in South Asia during last year’s conflict with India in May.
Pakistan was among the eight Muslim states that announced to be part of the body, which included Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Pakistan had expressed hope that with the creation of this framework, concrete steps would be taken towards the implementation of a permanent ceasefire, further scaling up of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians as well as reconstruction of Gaza.
“Pakistan also hopes that these efforts will lead to the realization of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination through a credible, time-bound political process, in accordance with international legitimacy and relevant UN resolutions, resulting in the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders previously held by Al-Sharif’s Foreign Office,” Al-Sharif’s Foreign Office said.
What is Trump’s ‘Peace Agency’?
Trump first proposed the Peace Council last September when he announced his plan to end the Gaza conflict. He later made it clear that the board’s mandate would be expanded beyond Gaza to tackle other conflicts around the world.
The US president will be the inaugural chairman of the board, and it will be tasked with promoting peace around the world and working to resolve conflicts.
Member states will be limited to three-year terms unless they pay $1 billion each to fund the board’s activities and achieve permanent membership, the charter says.
The White House has named US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as members of the initiative’s founding executive board.
