ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday highlighted its expectations of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP) in Gaza, saying it joined the United Nations-backed body alongside other Muslim nations since it expected concrete steps toward a permanent ceasefire, reconstruction of Gaza and a lasting and just peace grounded in the Palestinian right to statehood.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Gaza Board of Peace charter earlier this week along with other world leaders on the sidelines of the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, told an open Security Council debate on the Middle East that the decision was driven by the need to address the “unresolved Palestinian question,” which he described as “the core of the instability” in the region.

“We hope that the BoP under the framework of resolution 2803 will lead to concrete steps toward the implementation of a permanent ceasefire, further scaling up of humanitarian aid, reconstruction of Gaza, and 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 an independent, sovereign and contiguous state of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” Ahmad said while addressing the council.

“That is the ultimate goal supported by the international community,” he added. “Palestinian-led governance and institutional strengthening, with a central role of the Palestinian Authority, are indispensable in this regard.”

Ahmad maintained Pakistan was deeply concerned about the fragile situation in Gaza, pointing to Israel’s continued ceasefire violations that he said were putting civilian lives at risk. He stressed that the ceasefire must be fully respected with a view to a permanent cessation of hostilities.

The Pakistani diplomat said recovery and reconstruction should begin without delay and must proceed without annexation, forced displacement or any alteration of the territorial unity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

“The contiguity of Gaza and the West Bank is indispensable for the viability of the Palestinian state,” he said.

Ahmad also called for a credible, irreversible and time-bound political process culminating in the realization of Palestinian statehood in accordance with international legitimacy.

“The international community, particularly this council, bears the responsibility to translate renewed engagement into measurable change on the ground for the betterment of the Palestinian people,” he said, adding that Pakistan was ready to work with “members of the council, regional and international partners, and the United States to advance a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.”