WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is among the leaders who have gathered in the US for the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, where US President Donald Trump said about the premier that “I like this guy”.
Trump began his address by saying that “this is a big day”.
“Lots of people watching, especially from other countries […] We have a large group of leaders, and the ones who aren’t here are watching on Zoom. I hope they enjoy it,” he added.
The US president further said, “What we are doing is very simple — peace. It’s called the Board of Peace, and it’s all about — an easy word to say, but a hard word to produce — peace.
“We are going to produce it. We have been doing a really good job, and some of these leaders that are with us have helped me very much.”
He then went on to reiterate his claim of settling eight wars.
“And I think a ninth [was] to come, but it turned out to be a tougher one. I thought that was going to be the easiest one. But, with war, you never know what’s easy and what’s not so easy. But, we have had a great relationship, and I became friendly with so many of the people.
“And I appreciate you being here. These are great people these are great leaders,” he added.
Trump said the Board of Peace was one of “the most important and consequential things I think that I will be involved in”, again reiterating his claim of settling wars.
He said, “Some of which were 32, 34 or 37 years long. That’s a long time. [But] we ended it within about two days, each one of those. But, we have some other work to do, and we are getting it done.”
On the Gaza issue, he said it was “very complex”, commending US envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, among others, for an “amazing job” in this connection.
He then went on to say that the Board of Peace was “the most consequential board”.
“Certainly, in terms of power and in terms of prestige, there has never been anything close because these are the greatest world leaders,” he said, adding that almost everybody had accepted the invitation to join the board, and those had not would do.
“Some are playing a little cute. This doesn’t work. You can’t play cute with me,” he remarked.
“They are all joining, most of them immediately. A few of them we don’t want because they are trouble. Take care of them,” he added.
Trump then again asserted that the Board of Peace was the “most prestigious ever put together. You know, I have seen great corporate boards. I have seen some great boards, period. It’s peanuts compared to this board. Because we have virtually everyone who is the head of a country”.
He thanked the leaders attending the meeting for travelling long distances, saying that “we work together to ensure a brighter future for the people of Gaza, the Middle East, and the entire world”.
Trump noted that the Board of Peace comprised mostly leaders from the Middle Eastern countries and “countries all over the world”.
“And they have been generous with money also … And there is nothing more important than peace, and there is nothing less expensive than peace. You know when you go to wars, it costs you a hundred times what it costs to make peace,” he added.
Trump said he had been endorsing candidates in the US, but now he was also endorsing foreign leaders, and went on to name PM Shehbaz among the leaders he was acknowledging at the meeting.
“Prime Minister Sharif — I like this man — of Pakistan. Because there was some fighting going on when I got to know him and your Field Marshal, great general, great Field Marshal, great guy.”
PM Shehbaz lands in Washington
PM Shehbaz arrived in Washington DC on Thursday on an official visit to the United States, at the invitation of Trump to attend the meeting.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi are accompanying the premier as part of the Pakistani delegation.
Apart from attending the Board of Peace meeting, PM Shehbaz is also expected to hold meetings with senior US officials during the visit.
According to an official statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the visit reflects Pakistan’s inclusion in the Board of Peace, its “effective role for the promotion of global peace” and what it described as the country’s growing diplomatic outreach.
“In addition to attending the inaugural session of the BoP, the prime minister will also engage with senior US leadership, as well as his counterparts attending the meeting,” said a press release by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) dated Feb 18.
It added that the occasion would provide an opportunity for discussions on bilateral matters, as well as global issues of mutual concern.
All 22 invitees to the meeting have already joined the Board of Peace. Pakistan joined the board in late January, and signed the founding charter during the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The summit’s immediate focus is expected to be threefold: consolidating a ceasefire in Gaza, mobilising financial pledges for the BoP — with Washington announcing an initial commitment of $5 billion — and finalising the contours of a proposed global forum that Trump hopes can achieve what the United Nations could not.
Participants are also likely to discuss the proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF), tasked with securing reconstruction zones and supporting a post-conflict governance arrangement in Gaza.
Eight Muslim-majority countries are expected to participate in the meeting. They include Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, and the UAE. Muslim participants are expected to adopt a unified position on Gaza-related issues.
Additional reporting by Syed Irfan Raza
