WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has arrived in Washington for a three-day diplomatic sojourn to participate in the inaugural session of the Gaza Board of Peace, convened at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar, the premier is slated to engage with senior U.S. officials and global counterparts, leveraging the summit to advance strategic dialogues on bilateral relations, regional stability, humanitarian intervention, and global governance.
The high-profile summit will be hosted at the newly inaugurated Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace, with a principal agenda centred on accelerating the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire and spearheading a coordinated international funding initiative to restore critical infrastructure and essential civilian services.
Senior representatives from over 20 nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Pakistan, Turkey, Hungary, Morocco, Kosovo, and Albania, are expected to participate. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite holding board membership, will not attend.
The convening follows a rare joint communiqué issued by the foreign ministers of eight Muslim-majority states Qatar, Jordan, UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt denouncing Israel’s latest West Bank settlement expansions as a flagrant breach of international law, cautioning that such measures imperil the prospects for enduring peace in Gaza.
Israel’s role in the board has drawn scrutiny, given its position as a primary party to the conflict tasked with overseeing ceasefire compliance a responsibility fraught with inherent tensions.
President Trump, in a statement via Truth Social, asserted that “the comprehensive and immediate disarmament of Hamas” is pivotal to any sustainable resolution.
He further characterised the Gaza Board of Peace as possessing the potential to evolve into “the most consequential international institution in history,” underscoring the prestige of its chairmanship.
Officials briefed on the initiative indicated that the board will oversee post-conflict reconstruction, stabilization, and governance in Gaza, including the phased disarmament of Hamas under the 20-point peace framework.
The board is also exploring the deployment of an international security contingent to ensure ceasefire enforcement, with Pakistan recognised as a principal prospective contributor, given its extensive expertise in multinational peacekeeping operations.
Permanent membership in the board is reportedly contingent on a financial commitment of $1 billion.
