ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been asked to participate in the Gaza “Board of Peace” being established by United States President Donald Trump, the Foreign Office confirmed.
“The prime minister of Pakistan has received the invitation from the president of the United States to join the Board of Peace on Gaza,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said while responding to media questions.
“Pakistan will remain engaged with international efforts for peace and security in Gaza, leading to a lasting solution to the Palestine issue in accordance with United Nations resolutions,” he added.
The proposed “Board of Peace” is gradually taking form as Washington moves into the second stage of Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. Gaza has been left in ruins following two years of Israeli bombardment.
Trump has already announced himself as the chair of the initiative, which is tied to his contentious vision of economic reconstruction in the Palestinian territory.
The United States has reportedly extended invitations to leaders of nearly 60 countries to join the board, including Turkiye, Egypt, Argentina, Indonesia, Italy, Morocco, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and Australia.
However, the board’s charter which does not explicitly name Gaza indicates that Trump may be positioning the body as an alternative to the United Nations.
On Friday, the US president announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former British prime minister Tony Blair, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and senior negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff would be part of the panel.
According to Reuters, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has also been included. Israel has consistently opposed any Turkish involvement in Gaza.
Additional members of the executive board include UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Sigrid Kaag, Israeli-Cypriot billionaire Yakir Gabay, and a minister from the United Arab Emirates, which normalised relations with Israel in 2020.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian technocratic committee intended to administer Gaza convened its first meeting in Cairo on Friday. The session was attended by Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, who has been working closely with Witkoff on the issue for several months.
The committee is led by former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath, whose plan includes disposing of war debris into the Mediterranean Sea and completing reconstruction of damaged infrastructure within three years.
Analysts believe the coming weeks will determine whether Washington can turn this ambitious plan into real progress on governance, security and rebuilding in Gaza, as talks on demilitarisation and political transition continue to intensify.
