LEAVING aside its moral aspects, Pakistan has done what it should have in the given geo-strategic scenario by deciding to accept the invitation of the US President Donald Trump to join the Board of Peace (BoP).
According to Foreign Office, the decision is motivated by the desire of the country for achieving lasting peace in Gaza and taken as part of Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to support the implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan under the framework of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803. The invitation was extended last week after US President Trump’s Administration contacted global figures to join the Board and related bodies overseeing governance and reconstruction in post-war Gaza.
It was, of course, a tricky issue but the Government demonstrated prudence by linking the decision to the collective wisdom of eight Muslim countries that worked with Trump in October last year on a plan to end Israel’s genocide and invasion in Gaza. In a joint statement, the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced their countries’ shared decision to join the Board of Peace. This means Pakistan is not the only Muslim country but part of the influential Islamic states in joining a platform with ambiguous charter and agenda and together they might be able to influence the decision-making of the Board where abstention could have given free hand to others.
However, there is a logic in the criticism that the government showed indecent haste in embracing the new initiative whereas it could have adopted a policy of wait and see in the spirit of the statement of the eight countries, which said ‘each country will sign the joining documents according to its respective relevant legal and other necessary procedures’. It was expected that the government will take the parliament into confidence but unfortunately it opted to ignore and will have to face the consequences if the decision, at any stage, proved wrong and harmful either for the cause of Palestine or Pakistan. The eight countries have decided to join the Board in good faith as is evident from the contents of the statement their Foreign Ministers released on the subject. They reiterated their countries’ support for the peace efforts led by President Trump and reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to supporting the implementation of the mission of the BoP as a transitional administration, as set out in the Comprehensive Plan to end the Gaza Conflict and endorsed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803, aimed at consolidating a permanent ceasefire, supporting the reconstruction of Gaza and advancing a just and lasting peace grounded in the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood in accordance with international law, thereby paving the way for security and stability for all countries and peoples of the region. However, no one is sure about the future course of action by a body chaired for life by Trump with full veto powers on who will sit on the Board.
The countries are joining on the assumption that their decision is in line with the relevant UN resolution but, in fact, President Trump has made no secret of his plans by declaring that the Board could serve as an alternative to the United Nations. There are legitimate apprehensions that the stamp of the participating countries might be used to shield unilateral actions of the US President in different parts of the globe. But it is also expected that inclusion of eight Muslim countries including Pakistan in the Board will also help check unbridled ambitions of countries like Israel and India. In a nutshell, there is logic in the conclusion drawn by some analysts that Pakistan’s participation becomes less about endorsement and more about riding out a transient experiment.
