Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that the federal cabinet had approved Pakistan joining the Board of Peace, which is led by US President Donald Trump.
A group of leaders and senior officials from 19 countries – including Pakistan – had gathered on stage on Thursday with Trump at a signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, to put their names to the founding charter of the body.
Originally meant to oversee peace in Gaza after Israel’s two-year bombardment of the Palestinian enclave, the Board of Peace’s charter envisions a wider role in resolving international conflicts.
Speaking to the media outside the Pakistan High Commission in London on Saturday, the premier said that he had a “very good trip” to Davos.
He said that Pakistan had received an invitation from Trump to join the Board of Peace, adding that he accepted with the approval of the cabinet.
“We signed with the hope that there will be peace in Gaza, that Palestinians will receive the respect they deserve, and that Gaza will be reconstructed,” the premier said.
PM Shehbaz said the humanitarian situation in Gaza required urgent international attention and reiterated Pakistan’s long-standing position in support of Palestinian rights.
The premier also highlighted his meeting with International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva, describing it as positive.
He did not share details of the discussion but said Pakistan would continue to engage constructively with international financial institutions as it works to stabilise its economy.
Commenting on regional security, PM Shehbaz said he had thanked Mr Trump for what he described as his role in “saving millions of lives in South Asia by ending the India-Pakistan war”, without elaborating further.
Meanwhile, the prime minister’s aide, Rana Sanaullah, also said on that the federal cabinet had endorsed the decision to join the Board of Peace.
“There was much discussion on this and the cabinet endorsed it. After the cabinet’s endorsement, the prime minister accepted this [invitation],” he said.
“The development happened in the past week to 10 days. Based on this, the government signed after consultations with the cabinet. I know this, I was in that consultation,” he said.
The decision to join the board was criticised, with politicians and analysts saying that the decision was “unwise” and Pakistan had “jumped the gun”.
In response, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry had defended the move in the National Assembly, saying the country joined the body meant to oversee Gaza’s rebuilding in the interest of the Palestinian people.
The issue was also raised during a joint sitting of Parliament on Friday, with Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman claiming the decision was taken because of the “fear of Trump”.
The government had again defended the move, with Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal saying that Pakistan being at the “centre stage” along with its brother Muslim countries to contribute towards peace in Gaza and Palestine was a “diplomatic win”.