ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday urged Parliament to reject U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, criticising Pakistan’s inclusion in the initiative.
Trump launched the Board of Peace on Thursday, initially aimed at reinforcing Gaza’s fragile ceasefire, but he envisions it taking on a broader role involving other global powers. He stated that the Board would coordinate with the United Nations.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Board of Peace charter on Thursday in Davos, alongside other founding members.
Addressing a joint sitting of Parliament, Fazlur Rehman strongly opposed Pakistan’s participation, saying that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had previously assured lawmakers that Pakistan would not accept Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. “Then why join the Board of Peace with closed eyes?” he questioned.
Citing Trump’s statement that Hamas must disarm under the Gaza ceasefire or face “the end,” Fazlur Rehman accused the U.S. president of attempting to suppress Palestinian resistance while bolstering Israel.
“All accords and agreements to date have consistently limited Palestine while expanding Israel’s influence,” he said. “Under Trump’s threats to Palestinians, can this really be called the beginning of peace and reconciliation?”
Fazlur Rehman further expressed concern that after Lebanon and Syria, Israel might turn its focus to Iran and even approach Pakistan’s borders at Taftan, describing the situation as a direct threat.
He also criticised Pakistan’s government, accusing it of trying to appease what he called the “idol” of Trump, and urged Parliament to reject the Board of Peace under its current terms, noting that Prime Minister Sharif had not taken the Parliament or Cabinet into confidence on the matter.
Speaking to the media, Fazlur Rehman added that the Muslim world is facilitating Israel under Trump’s pressure, and that Islamic countries are advancing under the pretext of peace while inadvertently harming their own interests. He warned that Arab countries could become the first target of Israeli expansion.