WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday hailed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and “tough, serious, good fighter” Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir during the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington.
Speaking at the initial meeting of the Board of Peace, Trump said: “I like this man [PM Shehbaz] of Pakistan.” The US president said that he heard that Pakistan and India were fighting and the situation was worsening, adding that many planes were shot down.
Referring to the conflict, Trump said: “There was some fighting going on when I got to know him and your great Field Marshal [Asim Munir], a great guy.”
The US president recalled the premier’s previous remarks, saying Prime Shehbaz had credited him with saving 25 million lives by halting the Pakistan-India war. As the war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours raged, Trump reiterated that he played a role in stopping the conflict. He said that his threat of 200 percent tariffs was instrumental in reaching a ceasefire agreement. “I called them [Shehbaz and Modi] and I said, listen, I’m not doing trade deals with you two guys if you don’t settle this up... And all of a sudden, we worked out a deal. I said, if you fight, I’m going to put 200 per cent tariffs on each of your countries. They both wanted to fight. But when it came to money, it’s nothing like money. When it came to losing a lot of money, they said, I guess we don’t want to fight...”
Revising the tally of downed jets during the Pakistan-India war, the US president said that “11 very expensive” planes were shot down in the fight.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump told the first meeting of his Board of Peace that $7 billion has been contributed to a Gaza reconstruction fund that aims to rebuild the enclave. In a flurry of announcements at the end of a long, winding speech, Trump said the United States will make a contribution of $10 billion to the Board of Peace. He said contributing nations had raised $7 billion as an initial down payment for Gaza reconstruction. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is among the world leaders attending the inaugural meeting of the BoP led by Trump in Washington.
Addressing the meeting, Trump said countries had contributed more than $7 billion toward relief in Gaza as part of his Board of Peace effort. “I’m pleased to announce that Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait have all contributed more than $7 billion toward the relief package,” Trump said at the board’s inaugural meeting in Washington. He said that it will not be necessary to send soldiers to fight in Gaza. Trump said he hoped use of force to disarm Hamas would not be necessary. He said Hamas had promised to disarm, and it “looks like they’re going to be doing that, but we’ll have to find out.” The US president also said FIFA will raise $75 million for soccer-related projects in Gaza and that the United Nations will chip in $2 billion for humanitarian assistance.
The Board of Peace includes Israel but not Palestinian representatives and Trump’s suggestion that the Board could eventually address challenges beyond Gaza has stirred anxiety that it could undermine the UN’s role as the main platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution. “We’re going to strengthen the United Nations,” Trump said, trying to assuage his critics. “It’s really very important.”
The meeting came as Trump threatens war against Iran and has embarked on a massive military buildup in the region in case Tehran refuses to give up its nuclear programme. Trump said he should know in 10 days whether a deal is possible. “We have to have a meaningful deal,” he said, adding that bad things to happen if Iran deal isn’t reached.
In Gaza, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said any international force must “monitor the ceasefire and prevent the Israeli occupation from continuing its aggression”. Disarmament could be discussed, he said, without directly committing to it.
Ahead of the gathering, three sources told Reuters that Pakistan wants firm assurances from Washington before committing any troops to Gaza as part of the proposed ISF. Islamabad is seeking guarantees that the deployment would strictly be a peacekeeping mission and not involve disarming Hamas. Three government sources said during the Washington visit, PM Shehbaz wanted to better understand the goal of the ISF, what authority they were operating under and what the chain of command was before deciding on deploying troops. “We are ready to send troops. Let me make it clear that our troops could only be part of a peace mission in Gaza,” said one of the sources, a close aide of PM Shehbaz. “We will not be part of any other role, such as disarming Hamas. It is out of the question,” he said.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the Peace of Board, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the international community must work together towards a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination through the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and contiguous state of Palestine in line with the relevant United Nations resolutions.
He expressed hope that under the visionary and dynamic leadership of US President Donald Trump, the international community will ensure a just and lasting resolution to the issue of Palestine. He said the timely and very effective intervention by President Trump to achieve ceasefire between India and Pakistan potentially averted loss of tens of millions of people. “You have truly proved to be a man of peace. And let me say, Mr. President, you are truly saviour of South Asia,” he remarked. Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan calls for a force from Muslim nations to oversee a transition period for reconstruction and economic recovery in the devastated Palestinian territory, and Washington has been pressing Islamabad to join.
Five countries have committed troops for an international security force for Gaza, the commander of the force said. “The first five countries have committed troops to serve in the ISF -- Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania. Two countries have committed to train police -- Egypt and Jordan,” International Stabilisation Force commander Army Major General Jasper Jeffers said.
Jeffers also said the ISF would begin by deploying in southern Gaza’s Rafah, train police there and “expand sector by sector.” The long-term plan is to use 20,000 ISF troops and train 12,000 police, Jeffers said.
