India has yet to formally engage with US President Donald Trump proposed ‘Board of Peace’, amid concerns in diplomatic and media circles that the initiative could open the Kashmir dispute to international mediation.
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New Delhi was notably absent from the charter-signing ceremony held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, where 20 world leaders, including President Trump and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, endorsed the new body. Although India was invited to join, it has so far refrained from taking a position.
India Hesitates to Join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Amid Kashmir Concernshttps://t.co/VsaFt7ezZC#India #BoardOfPeace #DonaldTrump #Kashmir #IndiaUSRelations #IndiaPakistan #GazaCeasefire #IsraelHamas #GlobalPolitics #UN #Geopolitics pic.twitter.com/j7HSz3qyah
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The Board of Peace has been presented by Trump as a mechanism to make the Gaza ceasefire permanent and oversee an interim administration in the Palestinian territory. He has also suggested the framework could be applied to other global conflicts, raising apprehension in India.
Several analysts believe New Delhi fears the board could be used to internationalise the Kashmir issue. Trump has repeatedly offered to mediate between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, particularly after tensions flared between the two countries in May 2025 — proposals that India has consistently rejected.
According to a BBC Hindi report, the board is being formed at a time when Washington is withdrawing from multiple United Nations bodies, fuelling speculation that it could serve as an alternative global conflict-resolution mechanism dominated by the US.
An editorial in The Hindu described Pakistan’s decision to join the board as a “warning signal” for India, arguing that Trump’s self-styled role as a global peacemaker could lead him to include Kashmir in the board’s agenda. The paper cautioned that participation might limit India’s ability to oppose international involvement in the region.
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Former Indian ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin noted that unlike UN-mandated mechanisms, Trump’s plan appears open-ended and could extend beyond Gaza. Another former envoy, Ranjit Roy, said the risks of joining the board were high, citing concerns over its structure, authority and Trump’s transactional approach to diplomacy.