Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi confirmed on Thursday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would attend the upcoming Board of Peace meeting in the US, saying that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar would also accompany him.

Andrabi’s confirmation follows reports that said PM Shehbaz was expected to visit Washington on February 18 and represent Pakistan at the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which is scheduled for Feb 19 at the US Institute of Peace.

“I can confirm that the prime minister will attend the upcoming Board of Peace meeting. He will be accompanied by the deputy prime minister and foreign minister,” Andrabi said during a weekly briefing of the FO.

He added that information about other members of Pakistan’s delegation and its engagements would be shared in due course of time.

Asked specifically whether Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir would be included in the delegation, the FO spokesperson reiterated: “We will share these details in due course.

“I do not have the details — neither on the itinerary, nor on the composition of the delegation. I can confirm that the prime minister will lead the delegation and that the deputy prime minister and foreign minister will be part of the delegation. This is the extent of information right now. We will, of course, update you in due course.”

Pakistan is among the 14 countries that signed the charter of the Board of Peace on January 22 on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, becoming a founding member of the body.

The board was initially proposed in September 2025 and formally established last month. Under its charter, the US government serves as its official depository. President Trump has designated the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington as the board’s headquarters.

A UN Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November 2025 authorised the board, along with cooperating states, to establish an international stabilisation force in Gaza following a ceasefire that began in October under a Trump-backed plan accepted by Israel and Hamas.

However, the ceasefire has remained fragile, with repeated violations by Israel.

Under Trump’s Gaza plan unveiled late last year, the Board of Peace was originally intended to supervise Gaza’s temporary governance following a ceasefire, before being expanded to address global conflicts.

Rights experts and scholars have, however, criticised the concept, arguing that a US-led board overseeing the affairs of a foreign territory resembles a colonial structure. The absence of Palestinian representation on the board has further deepened these concerns.

A journalist also pointed out during the FO briefing on Thursday that there was no representation from Gaza on the board. Highlighting US support for Israel as well, the journalist asked: “How reliable would this Board of Peace prove to be for the people of Gaza?”

In his response, Andrabi said, “We have joined the Board of Peace in good faith, as I highlighted in my previous briefing.”

He also pointed that Pakistan had not joined the board in isolation and not as “one voice, but as collective voice of eight Islamic-Arab countries”, which had worked with Trump on his Gaza plan.

“Our collective voice is resonating in the Board of Peace, and we will continue to strive for the rights, peace and prosperity of the people of Palestine, aimed at the long-term solution of the Palestine issue — to create a state of Palestine, in accordance with the pre-1967 border with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital.

“So, our engagement is both for short-term, medium-term and long-term solution of the plight of the Palestinian people,” he explained.

Asked about Israel joining the board, the FO spokesperson said: “It is their decision. We are not obliged to offer any comment. We will engage with the Board of Peace with positivity of intent, and as I said, our prime minister will attend the Board of Peace meeting.”

‘Shot down a number of Indian Rafale jets’

Andrabi was also asked for a clarification following Trump’s recent remarks that 10 aircraft were shot down during the four-day conflict between India and Pakistan in May 2025.

Over the past 10 months, the US president has stated numerous times that aircraft were shot down during the conflict — albeit without specifying whose.

Initially stating that five jets were shot down, Trump gradually raised that number to seven in October, and then eight in November.

Responding to the question on Trump’s statement, the FO spokesperson said: “We have stated it previously, and I wish to reiterate it here that Pakistan is appreciative of the role of the United States during our 90-hour war with India.

“The role of the United States was for peace, for prevention of war and prevention of violence. So, in that context, President Trump’s statements, previous statements, and these statements are all obviously welcomed and endorsed.

“As regards the fighter planes: this is a matter of history,” he said.

He said Pakistan shot down “a number of Indian Rafale jets, and the evidence is all over — available internationally, corroborated by international reports, including by the manufacturers of these planes”.

“This demonstrated that Pakistan was able to deter Indian aggression through conventional means. This is also an indicator for the future — any future Indian aggression would be dealt forthrightly and forcefully with all our resources,” he added.

‘Weaponisation of cricket is regrettable’

During the session, the FO spokesperson was asked whether Pakistan’s decision to play the T20 World Cup match against India after announcing an initial boycott was the consequence of back-channel cricket diplomacy between the two sides.

In response, Andrabi said: “Cricket is a game that we all love and we all cherish. We grew up playing this game. Weaponisation of cricket, politicisation of cricket is regrettable.”

He explained that the government’s decision to not play against India “reflected the resolve of the government of Pakistan to not let cricket be weaponised and politicised”.

“Our subsequent decision to play reflected our magnanimity, after the relevant cricket authorities realised that they had weaponised and politicised cricket, particularly weaponised against Bangladesh.

“As you are aware, the Bangladesh side and Sri Lankan side (host of this game) were in touch with our government and cricket board,” he highlighted.

“So the decision to play the game, is reflective of the magnanimity shown by our prime minister as a result of contacts made by the brotherly countries of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as well as by a realisation within the relevant authorities managing cricket internationally and in India, that weaponisation and politicisation of cricket is wrong, is unwarranted, and it defies the spirit of the beloved game of cricket that we all cherish,” he said.