Pakistan on Thursday signed the charter of the Board of Peace as part of its ongoing efforts to support the implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the document along with other world leaders including those from Qatar, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan Argentina, Kosovo, Paraguay, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Bulgaria and others.
President of the United States Donald Trump was the first to sign the charter who later witnessed the ceremony held on the sidelines of the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum held here.
Pakistan had received the invitation from President Trump to join the Board which was later accepted.
Pakistan was among the eight Muslim states who announced to be part of the body on Wednesday which included Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the State of Qatar.
It was announced that each country would sign the joining documents according to its respective relevant legal and other necessary procedures, including Egypt, Pakistan, and the UAE, that have already announced to join.
Pakistan had expressed the hope that with the creation of this framework, concrete steps would be taken towards the implementation of a permanent ceasefire, further scaling up of humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, as well as reconstruction of Gaza.
“Pakistan also hopes that these efforts will lead to the 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 the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” Foreign Office earlier said in a statement.
During his speech, the US president also said that Hamas must disarm under the Gaza ceasefire deal or it will be the “end” of the Palestinian movement.
“Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do, and we’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations,” the US president said, adding that the combination of the Board of Peace and the UN could be “very, very unique for the world”.
The US president asserted: “The first steps toward a brighter day for the Middle East and a much safer future for the world are unfolding before your very eyes.