Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) United Kingdom (UK) President Ahsan Dar has revealed details of an exchange that showed Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and United States (US) President Donald Trump pointing at someone during the signing ceremony of the Board of Peace in Davos.
Speaking to journalist Murtaza Ali Shah, Dar, who received PM Shehbaz in London on his way back from the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, quoted the premier as saying that he had an excellent meeting with Trump.
“There are positive developments expected in the coming time, economically as well, God willing, and stability too,” he said.
Dar said that Trump, during his conversation with PM Shehbaz, also asked, “Where is my favourite Field Marshal?” to which, the premier pointed at Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Asim Munir, and told the US president he was standing right there.
It merits a mention that a video clip of the exchange also went viral over the internet. It came as a group of leaders and senior officials from 19 countries, including Pakistan, gathered on stage with Trump at a signing ceremony in Davos to put their names to the founding charter of the Board of Peace.
Originally meant to oversee peace in Gaza after Israel’s two-year war on the Palestinian enclave, the board’s charter envisions a wider role in resolving international conflicts.
Trump, who is the chairman of the Board of Peace, said they were “in most cases very popular leaders, some cases not so popular”.
“Every one of them are friends of mine. I like every single one of them,” Trump said about the signatories.
US officials also unveiled ambitious plans for a “New Gaza” during the ceremony, with Trump describing the devastated Palestinian territory as “great real estate”.
After Trump’s address, the heads of various countries took turns to sign the board’s charter. Permanent members must also pay $1 billion to join, leading to criticisms that the board could become a “pay to play” version of the UN Security Council.
While Trump’s plan had sparked concerns that he wants the board to rival the United Nations (UN), the US president said the body will work “in conjunction” with the UN.
Officials from Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Morocco, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Uzbekistan also signed the document with Trump.