Discussion centered on global, regional issues; discussion with Rubio-covered minerals, US corporate investment
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif attends the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington DC on February 19, 2026. PHOTO: PM OFFICE ON X
WASHINGTON:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with several global leaders, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during his visit to Washington, DC, for the inaugural session of the “Peace Council”. Discussions centered on global and regional issues, and Secretary Rubio discussed critical minerals, energy sector development, and investment opportunities for American companies in Pakistan with Prime Minister Shehbaz.
Read: Prime Minister to attend the meeting of the Gaza Peace Council
In a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister (PM) Sharif spoke about King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan and President Joko Widodo of Indonesia.
In addition, according to the US State Department press release, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Prime Minister Sharif and praised Pakistan’s continued support for President Trump’s Gaza peace plan and thanked the country for its role as a founding member of the “Peace Council”.
He expressed condolences for the recent attacks in Balochistan and Islamabad and reaffirmed the importance of continued cooperation in the fight against terrorism. They discussed critical minerals, energy sector development and investment opportunities for American companies in Pakistan.
Prime Minister Sharif arrived in Washington, DC on Thursday to attend the inaugural summit of the US-led “Board of Peace”, an initiative focused on Gaza and global conflict resolution. His delegation included senior officials like Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and other cabinet ministers and his visit was at the invitation of US President Donald Trump.
Read more: Trump says US will give $10 billion to new ‘Peace Agency’
At the summit, President Trump publicly praised Prime Minister Shehbaz and Chief of Defense Staff (CDF) Asim Munir, recounting their role in achieving a ceasefire in the May conflict with India, and expressed personal admiration for both Prime Minister Shehbaz and CDF Munir.
Speaking at the “Peace Council” meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz welcomed the efforts to achieve lasting peace in Gaza and stressed the importance of ending ceasefire violations to enable reconstruction and stability in the war-torn strip. He reiterated Pakistan’s support for Palestinian self-determination and a sovereign, contiguous Palestinian state.
Before and during the visit, officials stressed that Islamabad would carefully consider any participation in an international stabilization force in Gaza and seek clear assurances that such a mission would be strictly peacekeeping and not involve disarmament actions against Hamas, as per Reuters.
