ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed optimism on Wednesday US President Donald Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace (BoP) would help end the conflict in Gaza and advance the implementation of a two-state solution, as he addressed a ceremony at his official residence in the capital.
The Board of Peace brings together participating states and international stakeholders seeking to support dialogue, stability and peace-related initiatives linked to the war in the Palestinian enclave.
Sharif signed the body’s charter last month alongside other world leaders on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, a move his government later described as a diplomatic success amid opposition criticism for not taking parliament into confidence.
Speaking at a ceremony to sign more than 30 memoranda of understanding with Kazakhstan, also a Board of Peace member, Sharif thanked President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for accepting his invitation to visit Pakistan for bilateral talks.
“I would ... like to congratulate you on accepting this invitation, being a member of the Board of Peace under President Trump’s leadership,” Sharif said.
“Let us hope and pray to Allah Almighty that through our joint efforts, we will be successful in bringing long-lasting peace in Gaza, its reconstruction, and, of course, make the two-state solution a reality as soon as possible,” he added.
Pakistan told the United Nations in January that it expected the new international body to take concrete steps toward a permanent ceasefire, the reconstruction of Gaza and a lasting and just peace grounded in the Palestinian right to statehood.
It maintained that its decision to join the Board of Peace was driven by the need to address the unresolved Palestinian question, which it has described as the core source of instability in the region.
Pakistan has consistently called for the establishment of a geographically contiguous Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
