By Admin 
Board of Peace: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the charter of US President Donald Trump’s initiative ‘Board of Peace’ during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Shahbaz Sharif called it an important diplomatic step, but as soon as he returned to Pakistan, this decision got embroiled in a huge political controversy. Opposition parties have termed this move as non-transparent and morally unacceptable.
Trump’s new initiative for Gaza conflict
The ‘Board of Peace’ has been formally introduced by US President Donald Trump as part of the second phase of his 20-point peace proposal to end the Gaza conflict. According to reports, this board will not be limited to Gaza only, but will work as a new international mechanism to resolve global conflicts in the future.
Its scope extends to governance capacity building, reconstruction, attracting investment and raising funds on a large scale. In many countries, it is being seen as an emerging system as an alternative to the United Nations.
Strong opposition from the opposition in Pakistan
After this signing in Davos, political turmoil intensified in Islamabad. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opened a front against the government’s decision. The party said in a strong statement that it does not accept the government’s decision to join the ‘Board of Peace’.
PTI says that decisions of such huge international importance require “full transparency and wide consultation with all key political stakeholders”. Party leaders stressed that any international peace initiative should strengthen the UN multilateral system, rather than creating “parallel structures” that would further complicate global governance.
This demand was raised
PTI has demanded the government to withdraw from formal participation in the ‘Board of Peace’ until a comprehensive consultation process is completed under the supervision of the Parliament of Pakistan and Imran Khan is also included in it. The party has also demanded a national referendum on this decision. Also, PTI clarified that it is in support of the Palestinian people, but will not accept any plan against the will of the people of Gaza or the entire Palestine.
The leader of the opposition in the Senate also expressed his opposition.
The pressure on Shehbaz Sharif increased further when Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) chief and leader of opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas also criticized the move. He called it morally wrong and unacceptable. From the same platform, US President Donald Trump gave a strong statement saying that the Palestinian armed organization Hamas will have to lay down its arms, otherwise it will be “eliminated”. This statement of Trump has also given further fuel to the controversy.
Questions arising on ‘Board of Peace’
The initiative of ‘Board of Peace’ itself is also under question. The Trump administration had invited about 60 countries, including India and China, but less than 20 countries participated during the Davos launch. It is being told that a fee of one billion dollars has been fixed for the permanent membership of this board.
Which countries participated?
Washington is presenting this board as a new international body to bring peace and stability to Gaza and beyond. This has also intensified speculation that it may intervene in other global conflicts as well. The countries that accepted Trump’s invitation include Argentina, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Morocco, Mongolia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.