ISLAMABAD: Opposition parties on Thursday strongly criticised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s decision to join the Trump-led Board of Peace, questioning the process, intent and lack of parliamentary consultation behind Pakistan’s participation in the Gaza-related initiative. US President Donald Trump kicked off his new “Board of Peace” at Davos on Thursday, with world leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, signing on to pursue a lasting agreement for Gaza. A group of leaders and senior officials from 19 countries — including Trump allies from Argentina and Hungary — gathered on stage with the US president to put their names to the founding charter of the body. Trump was the first to sign the charter who later witnessed the ceremony held on the sidelines of the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Pakistan had received the invitation from President Trump to join the Board, which was later accepted. Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said it was the government’s responsibility to inform the House about decisions of such national importance. Fazl questioned whether the cabinet had even been taken into confidence if the parliament was being ignored. He asked whether the Board of Peace did not amount to a parallel structure when institutions such as the United Nations and the UN Security Council already existed. He said Pakistan’s decision to join the Gaza Peace Board was merely an attempt to seek the “blessings of US President Donald Trump,” terming the move an extremely sensitive matter. He further criticised the government’s foreign policy, alleging that national policies were shaped under international pressure rather than guided by national interest. Referring to recent political developments, he said the country had witnessed many dark days and announced that February 8 would be observed as a “black day.” Meanwhile, Opposition Leader in the Senate, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, has termed Pakistan’s move as “morally wrong and indefensible”.Speaking in the Senate, Abbas said Pakistan’s participation in the Gaza peace framework lacked ethical justification and raised serious concerns over its implications. Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also criticised the move, saying the prime minister’s decision to join the Gaza Board of Peace without consultation could not be termed positive. Addressing the National Assembly, he said the House had been sidelined and demanded that the government clarify the terms and conditions of joining the board. He maintained that while the government was free to join UN bodies, the Board of Peace was not a UN institution, making it wrong to take such a decision without bringing the matter before parliament. Former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said PTI completely disassociated itself from the decision. Separately, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman strongly rejected the government’s decision, describing the Gaza Peace Board as a new mechanism aimed at seizing Palestinian land and resources. He said Pakistan’s inclusion in the initiative was unacceptable and categorically stated that Pakistan’s armed forces should under no circumstances be deployed to Gaza. Rehman stressed that any arrangement undermining Palestinian sovereignty or legitimising occupation could not be supported by Pakistan. Responding to the opposition’s criticism, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry defended the government’s stance, saying decisions had to be taken in line with national interest and the collective interests of the Muslim Ummah. He said Pakistan had always raised its voice for Kashmir and Palestine and joined the Board of Peace with the objective of Gaza’s reconstruction and achieving a permanent ceasefire. Emphasising unity, he said the issue required consensus rather than political confrontation.