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.

Trump first proposed the board last September when he announced his plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza. He later made clear the board’s remit would be expanded beyond Gaza to tackle other conflicts worldwide.

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 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.

Trump hails PM Shehbaz, CDF Munir

US President Trump on Thursday hailed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and “tough serious 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, Trump said: “I like this man [PM Shehbaz] of Pakistan.”

Referring to last year’s May conflict between Pakistan and India, 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.

Last year, Pakistan and India engaged in a military showdown, the worst between the old foes in decades, which was sparked by a terrorist attack on tourists in IIOJK’s Pahalgam area, which New Delhi alleged was backed by Pakistan.

Islamabad denied involvement in the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people and offered to participate in a neutral probe into the deadly incident.

During the clashes, Pakistan downed seven Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US.

Speaking on the occasion, the US president lauded the professionalism of CDF Munir, calling him a “tough good fighter”.

The US president said that he heard that Pakistan and India were fighting and the situation is worsening, adding that many planes were shut down.

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.

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.”

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.”

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.

Last month, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said that Pakistan would continue to engage with international efforts aimed at peace and security in Gaza.

“Pakistan will remain engaged with international efforts for peace and security in Gaza, leading to a lasting solution to the Palestine issue in accordance with United Nations resolutions,” he said.

Pakistan has reiterated at international forums its readiness to play a “constructive role” in the US peace plan for Palestine.

Trump launched his new board at the World Economic Forum in Davos in late January, with world leaders, including PM Shehbaz, signing on to pursue a lasting agreement for Gaza.

Force to oversee reconstruction and recovery

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.

Analysts say Pakistan would be an asset to the multinational force, with its experienced military that has gone to war with arch-rival India and tackled insurgencies.

“We can send initially a couple of thousand troops anytime, but we need to know what role they are going to play,” the source added.

Two of the sources said it was likely PM Shehbaz, who has met Trump earlier this year in Davos and late last year at the White House, would either have an audience with him on the sidelines of the meeting or the following day at the White House.

Initially designed to cement Gaza’s ceasefire, Trump sees the board, launched in late January, taking a wider role in resolving global conflicts. Some countries have reacted cautiously, fearing it could become a rival to the United Nations.

While Pakistan has supported the establishment of the board, it has voiced concerns against the mission to demilitarise Hamas.

Australian police said on Thursday they had launched an investigation after a threatening letter was sent to the country’s largest mosque, the third such incident in the lead-up to Ramadan.

The letter sent to Lakemba Mosque in Sydney’s west on Wednesday contained a drawing of a pig and a threat to kill the “Muslim race”, local media reported.

Police said they had taken the letter for forensic testing, and would continue to patrol religious sites including the mosque, as well as community events.

The latest letter comes weeks after a similar message was mailed to the mosque, depicting Muslim people inside a mosque on fire.

Police have also arrested and charged a 70-year-old man in connection with a third threatening letter sent to Lakemba Mosque’s staff in January.

The Lebanese Muslim Association, which runs the mosque, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) it had written to the government to request more funding for additional security guards and CCTV cameras.

Some 5,000 people are expected to attend the mosque each night during Ramadan. More than 60% of residents in the suburb of Lakemba identify as Muslim, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Bilal El-Hayek, mayor of Canterbury-Bankstown council, where Lakemba is located, said the community was feeling “very anxious”.

“I’ve heard first-hand from people saying that they won’t be sending their kids to practice this Ramadan because they’re very concerned about things that might happen in local mosques,” he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the recent string of threats.

“It is outrageous that people just going about commemorating their faith, particularly during the holy month for Muslims of Ramadan, are subject to this sort of intimidation,” he told ABC radio.

“I have said repeatedly we need to turn down the temperature of political discourse in this country, and we certainly need to do that.”

Anti-Muslim sentiment has been growing in Australia since the war in Gaza War in late 2023, according to a recent report commissioned by the government.

The Islamophobia Register Australia has also documented a 740% rise in reports following the Bondi mass shooting on December 14, where authorities allege two gunmen inspired by Daesh killed 15 people attending a Jewish holiday celebration.

“There’s been a massive increase post-Bondi,” Mayor El-Hayek said. “Without a doubt, this is the worst I have ever seen it. There’s a lot of tension out there.”

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday (today) will preside over the first meeting of his “Board of Peace,” an initiative that has drawn praise from Trump allies but also criticism from countries worried that it will undermine the United Nations.

What is ‘Board of Peace’?

Trump first proposed the board last September when he announced his plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza. He later made clear the board’s remit would be expanded beyond Gaza to tackle other conflicts worldwide, with Trump as its chair.

Such efforts have traditionally been a role for the United Nations.

Member states would be limited to three-year terms unless they pay $1 billion each to fund the board’s activities and earn permanent membership, its charter said.

The White House in January named US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner as members of the initiative’s founding Executive Board.

Which countries have joined so far?

The board’s official X account has listed over two dozen countries as founding members of the initiative, including Washington’s main Middle Eastern allies.

They include Israel and Saudi Arabia, along with Egypt and Qatar, which helped mediate talks for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Others in the region include Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

From elsewhere in the world, there are Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, El Salvador, Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Remaining nations

Washington’s key Western allies, as well as major powers of the Global South such as Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa, have not accepted an offer to join.

Leaders of Britain, the European Union, France, Germany, Norway and Sweden have said they will not join the board.

President Trump rescinded an invitation for Canada last month after he took issue with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech in Davos.

Brazil and Mexico have said they will not join the initiative, citing the Palestinian absence from the board. The Vatican has not joined, saying efforts to handle crisis situations should be managed by the United Nations.

China and Russia, both veto-wielding members of the United Nations Security Council, have not joined.

Board’s powers

The UN Security Council passed a US-drafted resolution recognising the board in November, welcoming it as a transitional and temporary administration “that will set the framework, and coordinate funding for the redevelopment of Gaza” under Trump’s plan until the Palestinian Authority has satisfactorily reformed.

The resolution authorised the board to deploy a temporary International Stabilisation Force in Gaza, while limiting its scope to only Gaza and only through 2027.

The board is required to report on its progress to the 15-member Security Council every six months.

China and Russia abstained, saying the resolution did not give the US a clear role in Gaza’s future.

Beyond Gaza, it remains unclear what legal authority or enforcement tools, if any, the board will have or how it will work with the US and other international organisations.

Under the board’s charter, it will undertake “peace-building functions in accordance with international law.” Its chairman, Trump, will have extensive executive power, including the ability to veto decisions and remove members, subject to some constraints.

Critics take

Rights experts said that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s affairs resembles a colonial structure, and have criticised the board for not including a Palestinian representative, even though it is meant to supervise the temporary governance of a Palestinian territory.

Critics also pointed out Blair’s inclusion, given his role in the Iraq war and the history of British imperialism in the Middle East.

The board has drawn scrutiny for including countries whose human rights track records have been widely condemned by rights groups, such as some Middle Eastern powers, as well as Belarus and El Salvador.

There has been particular criticism over the inclusion of Israel on a board meant to oversee Gaza’s temporary governance, given that  the Palestinian territory has been left devastated by an Israeli military assault that killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza’s entire population and led to accusations of war crimes and genocide.

Inaugural meeting

Almost all nations that have joined the board will be at Thursday’s meeting.

More than 20 other nations will attend as observers, a senior US official said. These include close Asian allies Japan and South Korea, along with India and Thailand from elsewhere in the region.

Other observers include Britain and the EU, along with individual member states Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

Norway and Switzerland will also participate in that capacity, as will Mexico and Oman.

Topics to be discussed include Gaza’s reconstruction, humanitarian assistance efforts and deployment of a stabilisation force.