In a major global development, US President Donald Trump’s newly formed ‘Board of Peace’ has announced 26 countries designated as founding members of the initiative, including Pakistan.
The official account on the social media platform X of the ‘Board of Peace’ has said that it “welcomes Pakistan as a founding member of our growing international organization”.
It is a fact that Pakistan’s decision has caused considerable controversy inside the country with major opposition parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), accusing the government of trying to please the US President and undermining Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
In this regard, PTI’s argument that a move of such international importance should not be taken without transparency or broad political consultation seems to be grounded in plausibility and logic. The government has clearly erred by failing to reach out to opposition parties prior to signing the document.
However, it is interesting to note that the government has asked the opposition not to turn the issue into political point-scoring by saying, among other things, that Pakistan’s participation in the Board of Peace aims to support the global efforts towards peace in the Middle East while safeguarding both Palestinian and national interests.
Little does the Shehbaz Sharif-led government know that it has itself helped a seemingly beleaguered opposition score political points, rather than to respond to a hasty government decision in good faith.
Saleem Anver (Karachi)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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