Pakistan on Wednesday said it has accepted US President Donald Trump's invitation to join the Board of Peace for Gaza to support the effort for bringing peace to the troubled region.
President Trump had invited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to become part of the body he has set up to implement a peace agreement in Gaza to end the war and create permanent peace.
"Pakistan would like 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 under the framework of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803," the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Pakistan hoped 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.
The FO said that Pakistan also hoped that these efforts would lead to the realisation 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 (Jerusalem) as its capital.
According to the statement, Pakistan looked forward to continuing to play a constructive role as part of the Board of Peace for the achievement of these goals as well as to end the suffering of Palestinians.
Several countries have received invitations to join the Peace Board. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have also received invitations to join the board.
The US president unveiled the board as part of the second phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In October, Israel and militant group Hamas agreed to Trump's peace plan.
The board is being projected by Washington as a new international body to usher in peace and stability in Gaza and beyond, triggering speculations that it may respond to other global conflicts as well.
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