To stay in Trump's good books? Pak faces backlash over Gaza Peace Board entry

Pakistan's decision to join United States President Donald Trump's newly formed "Board of Peace for Gaza" has sparked sharp criticism from within the country, with opposition leaders and activists warning that Islamabad may have misread the political cost of trying to align itself closely with Washington.

On Wednesday, Pakistan confirmed it had accepted Trump's invitation to become part of the body tasked with implementing a peace agreement in Gaza, aimed at ending the war and building what the US President has described as a framework for lasting peace. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was invited to participate in the board, which Washington said will oversee post-war stabilisation and reconstruction efforts.

While the government framed the move as a contribution to peace, the announcement quickly drew fire across Pakistan's political spectrum.

Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas called the decision "morally incorrect and indefensible, both on principle and policy". In a post on X, he argued that the initiative strips Palestinians of their right to govern themselves.

"The initiative was problematic from the outset. Conceived as an externally managed arrangement for post-war Gaza, it effectively removes the right of governance from the Palestinian people themselves. By placing reconstruction, security and political oversight in the hands of outside actors, the project carries the unmistakable imprint of a neo-colonial enterprise. Such frameworks rarely end at administration," he said.

Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar echoed those concerns, criticising the government for joining without parliamentary debate. The move, he said, reflected 'disregard' for public accountability.

"The so-called Board of Peace is a colonial enterprise to not only govern Gaza but create a parallel system to the UN. The board will have the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed. It will be a more nimble and effective international peace-building body, in its own language. The charter of this Board of Peace gives Trump czarist powers to implement his personal as well as US agenda without any mechanism to prevent such one sided outcome," Khokhar said in a post on X.

Former ambassador to the US, UK and UN, Maleeha Lodhi, termed Pakistan’s participation an “unwise decision.” Writing on X, she said, "An unwise decision for many reasons. The govt has overlooked the fact that Trump wants states to join the board to secure international support & legitimacy for what are & will be unilateral actions by him. The board's remit is v broad and beyond Gaza, another reason not to join".

Author and journalist Zahid Hussain said Islamabad had rushed in. Speaking to Dawn, he argued Pakistan should have waited to see how other countries responded. By joining early, he said, Pakistan risked becoming party to "Trump's adventurism" and a structure that could undermine the UN and global order. "Are we just following Trump's diktat to stay in his good books?" he asked.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said Islamabad hoped the board would lead to a permanent ceasefire, expanded humanitarian assistance and reconstruction in Gaza. It added that the process should deliver Palestinian self-determination through a credible, time-bound political framework consistent with UN resolutions, culminating in an independent, sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital.

Several countries have been invited to join the Peace Board. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have also received invitations.

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