US President Donald Trump launched the “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort town of Davos on January 22. Initially proposed in 2025 as a mechanism to oversee a ceasefire and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, the initiative is now envisaged as a broader platform to address global conflicts.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Board of Peace charter in Davos alongside other world leaders. Islamabad views its participation as a means to support a permanent ceasefire and scale up humanitarian assistance for Palestinians.
Past Opposition To Trump’s Middle East Plan
Sharif’s decision has drawn attention because of his earlier opposition to Trump’s 2020 “Peace to Prosperity” plan for the Middle East. At the time, Sharif was Leader of the Opposition in Pakistan’s National Assembly and described the proposal as “unjust, biased and oppressive”.
On January 29, 2020, Sharif wrote on X, “President Trump’s Middle East Peace Plan essentially legitimizes Israeli annexation of Jerusalem & illegal settlements on the land of Palestinians.” He also said the plan was rightly “torn into pieces by the Palestinians”.
Domestic Political Backlash
Pakistan’s participation in the Board of Peace has triggered sharp criticism at home. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, said it does not accept the government’s decision.
In a statement, the party said decisions of such international significance must be taken with full transparency and inclusive consultation with all major political stakeholders. PTI added that Pakistan’s involvement in international peace initiatives should strengthen the UN’s multilateral system rather than create parallel structures that could dilute global governance.
“PTI calls upon the Government of Pakistan to withdraw any formal participation in the ‘Board of Peace’ until a complete consultative process has been conducted,” the party said.
Public Criticism And Commentary
Pakistani journalist and writer Zahid Hussain questioned whether Islamabad’s move was aimed merely at staying in “Trump’s good books”, calling it “the most disastrous thing” for the country, in comments to Dawn.
Author and activist Fatima Bhutto criticised the decision, saying, “So Pakistan will be sitting with Israel on this ‘board of peace’ – very perpetrators of the Palestinian Holocaust? What a disgrace.”
Activist Ammar Ali Jan also condemned the move, saying it had neither been debated in the media nor in parliament. “Shameful betrayal by the regime!” he wrote on X, adding that Pakistan had joined Trump’s “Board of Peace” at a time when the world was reacting with shock to what he described as the US president’s erratic decisions.
