Pakistan on Board of Peace

2026-02-01 - 22:36

ACCORDING to an announcement by the ministry of foreign affairs in Islamabad “In response to the invitation extended to Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif by the President of the United States, H.E. Donald J. Trump, Pakistan would like to announce its decision to join the Board of Peace (BoP) as part of its ongoing efforts to support the implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan under the framework of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803. Pakistan expresses the hope that with the creation of this framework, concrete steps will be taken towards the implementation of a permanent ceasefire, further scaling up of humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, as well as reconstruction of Gaza. Pakistan also hopes that these efforts will lead to the realization of the right to self-determination of the people of Palestine, through a credible, time-bound political process, consistent 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 with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.” The creation of the board of peace is the next phase of a ceasefire agreement in Ghaza that has killed more than 700000 people and injured countless others since October 2023. Along with Pakistan Eight Muslim nations have agreed to join the Board of Peace including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. According to retired ambassador Imran Ali Chaudhry “It was the least worst (bad) option and he has a number of reasons to say so. People all over the world have protested violently at the genocidal actions of Israel in the area of Ghaza since after the Hamas attack of October 7 2023. All protest voices from all over the world had no effect because the Western nations led by the USA supported armed and encouraged the state of Israel to attack the Ghaza strip and brutally kill thousands of Palestinians including about 20000 children, numerous women and many elderly people. It goes to the credit of the US President that he finally succeeded in bringing about a ceasefire in the bleeding and battered and of Ghaza where initially he talked about relocating the people of Ghaza but now finally he has agreed that no one from Ghaza will be displaced. Pakistan has wisely joined the board of peace as part of an OIC bloc. The announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not suggest any way to Palestinian statehood and this is one reason for negative feedback and criticism regarding Pakistan’s decision to join the board. This is the time when Israel has started eviction of Palestinians and establishment of Jewish settlements in the West Bank areas. Since the Ghaza ceasefire over 500 Palestinians have been murdered but the mass killings since October 2023 have come to a stop so if by joining the board Palestinians have been spared the mass killings and genocidal actions than perhaps joining the board has been of some benefit for the Palestinians. On the sidelines of the world economic forum in Davos twenty course including Pakistan signed up for the President Donald Trump’s newly created Board of Peace. No big European country was seen, Russia is said to be reviewing the proposal and China is still undecided. This decision by Pakistan triggered a livey debate and the Govt. representatives are calling it a diplomatic win and a strategic necessity The opposition parties are totally against joining any Trump Led initiative and they have warned of some serious long term implications. The fear in the minds of the opponents is that this plan could be used by the USA to advance the political and military aims of Israel and bring an end to the ages old Two nation plan and to kill the aspirations of the Palestinians. Another fear is that by launching the Board of Peace Donald Trump could By Pass the United Nations. The plan for the Board of Peace has some serious drawbacks. There is no mention of Ghaza in this document According to the preamble, “The Board of Peace... seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict. The Board of Peace shall undertake such peace-building functions in accordance with international law and as may be approved in accordance with this Charter.” The language is rather vague and it is feared that at some stage Pakistan could be asked to support the total disarming of Hamas in Ghaza. Article 2 of the charter places limits on what the board of peace can demand of its members. Article 2.2(b) states: “Each Member State shall support and assist with Board of Peace operations consistent with their respective domestic legal authorities. Nothing in this Charter shall be construed to give the Board of Peace jurisdiction within the territory of Member States, or require Member States to participate in a particular peace-building mission, without their consent.”This particular clause has provided Pakistan ample room to move around, Membership does not mean automatic endorsement of every decision or mission undertaken by the Board of Peace. Participation remains voluntary and subject to domestic laws and political red lines. Pakistani officials have already made it clear that any international force mandated to enforce peace through coercion or to disarm Hamas is a red line Islamabad will not cross. Pakistan has no options but to stay inside the circle because staying out will mean losing any control over the process that may shape future discussions on Ghaza and Palestine. Being on the wrong side of Donald Trump has brought nothing but the wrong type of political and economic consequences. By joining the board Pakistan has not shifted from its long held principled stance on Palestine. This move will make Pakistan relevant and of some benefit for the Palestinian cause. —The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.