Pakistan welcomes Board of Peace developments under Gaza Peace Plan: PM Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that Pakistan welcomed developments under the Board of Peace towards implementing the disarmament process under the Gaza Peace Plan. Earlier today, US President Donald Trump said talks in Cairo between mediators and Hamas leaders on Thursday have led to a phased disarmament agreement in Gaza, but a Hamas official described the deal as a draft and US officials said Israel was sceptical the Palestinian group would surrender its weapons. “Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza,” Trump said in a social media post, adding that the disarmament would come in phases. In a social media post on X, PM Shehbaz said, “Pakistan welcomes developments under the Board of Peace towards the implementation of the disarmament process under the Gaza Peace Plan.” He emphasised that the mediating countries, including the United States of America, Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye, deserved “special appreciation for their efforts in achieving this progress”. Commending President Trump’s “courageous leadership”, the premier said that this represented “a significant achievement for the Board of Peace”. “Pakistan expresses the hope that with these developments, concrete steps will be taken towards implementing all commitments under the Gaza Peace Plan. He concluded by expressing hope that these efforts would lead to the realisation of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people through a credible and time-bound political process, in line with international legitimacy and relevant UN resolutions. The prime minister added that this should result 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 board was initially proposed in September 2025 and formally established in January. Under its charter, the US government serves as its official depository and Trump has designated the Donald J Trump Institute of Peace in Washington as the Board’s headquarters. A UN Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November last year authorised the board, along with cooperating states, to establish an international stabilisation force in Gaza following a ceasefire that began in October under a Trump-backed plan accepted by Israel and Hamas. Pakistan is among the 14 countries that signed the charter of the Board of Peace on January 22 on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, becoming a founding member of the body. The list of founding members also includes Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, El Salvador, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, spanning the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caucasus. The board was originally conceived to oversee the ceasefire and reconstruction of Gaza, but its charter expands its mandate to peace-building in all areas affected by or at risk of conflict.