Pakistan formally accepts US President Donald Trump’s invitation for ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza; Will India join too, pay $1 billion for permanent seat?

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Pakistan officially accepted US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join the Gaza Peace Council on Wednesday, upon the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Donald Trump has invited leaders of several other countries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, to join the Peace Board to be part of the body established to implement a peace agreement in Gaza and agree on a ‘permanent ceasefire’ and reconstruction of Gaza.

“Pakistan wishes to announce its decision to join the Board of Peace (BoP) as part of its ongoing efforts to support the implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan within the framework of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803,” the Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement. he said.

The statement said, “Pakistan expresses its hope that by establishing this framework, concrete steps will be taken towards the implementation of a permanent ceasefire, further increasing humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and the reconstruction of Gaza.”

He added: “Pakistan further hopes that these efforts will lead to the realization of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination through a credible, time-bound political process consistent with international legitimacy and relevant UN resolutions, leading to the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”

Countries that agreed to participate

While announcing his plan to end the Israel-Hamas conflict in September 2024, Donald Trump proposed the establishment of the Gaza Peace Board and sent the invitation to 60 world leaders last week. However, members must contribute $1 billion in cash if they want their membership to last more than three years. It is not yet clear whether Pakistan will pay this amount.

Pakistan is among seven countries, including Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Egypt, that have agreed to join US President Donald Trump’s Peace Board. Israel had also previously publicly confirmed its involvement. Jordan, Indonesia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates also took part in the board.

While Trump said that Vladimir Putin also agreed to attend, the Russian President said that his country was still working on the invitation.

Has India agreed to participate? Although an invitation has been sent to India, no decision has been taken yet.