India Attends Board of Peace Meeting Where Trump Repeats Claim of Stopping 2025 Indo-Pak Conflict

New Delhi: India on Thursday (February 19) attended, as an observer, the inaugural meeting of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace on Gaza, a body that has drawn criticism for being seen as undermining the United Nations, even as the US President used the platform to repeat his claim that he had stopped last year’s India-Pakistan conflict by threatening steep tariffs and trade consequences.

The meeting, held in Washington, saw participation from nearly 50 countries and the European Union, with several nations attending as observers. India was represented by the Chargé d’affaires at its embassy in Washington DC, Namgya Khampa.

Less than a week ago, the Ministry of External Affairs had described the US proposal as “under review”, indicating that a final decision on the invitation had not been taken. India did not attend the January 22 ceremony in Davos where Trump formally unveiled the Board of Peace.

During his address, Trump singled out Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and returned at length to the May 2025 India-Pakistan military exchanges.

“Prime Minister Sharif – I like this man of Pakistan, because there was some fighting going on when I got to know him,” Trump said, recalling that Sharif had told him he believed the US President “saved 25 million lives when he stopped the war between us and India”.

“That war was raging. Planes were being shot down,” Trump said. “It was Pakistan and India. And I got on the phone with both of them. And I knew them a little bit. I knew Prime Minister Modi very well, actually.”

He described reading about the escalation and deciding to intervene. “I said, listen, I’m not doing trade deals with you two guys if you don’t settle this up,” he said. “We’re not doing a trade deal.”

Trump said both countries conduct substantial business with the United States and that they “sort of softened up, all of a sudden.” He added that he warned them, “If you fight, I’m going to put 200 per cent tariffs on each of your countries, which essentially makes you not allowed – you know, you can’t do any business.”

“When it came to money – there’s nothing like money. When it came to losing a lot of money, they said, I guess we don’t want to fight, and we solved that deal in two, three days,” he said.

He characterised the confrontation as involving two “very powerful ... nuclear nations” and said “eleven jets were shot down, very expensive jets, and they were all in. Both of them were all in. And now they’re not.”

Trump later asked the prime minister of Pakistan to stand to register his presence at the meeting. He added, “And I spoke to Prime Minister Modi; he’s excited. He’s watching us right now.”

Sharif, addressing the gathering, praised Trump’s intervention and described him as a “man of peace”. India has consistently rejected claims of third party mediation in last year's confrontation, maintaining that the May 2025 ceasefire was reached bilaterally, through direct contacts between the Director Generals of Military Operations of the two countries.

The May 2025 clashes with drones and missiles followed India’s launch of Operation Sindoor, targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the April attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists.

At the weekly media briefing on Friday, the MEA spokesperson confirmed India’s participation. “I would like to inform you that India attended the Board of Peace meeting in Washington DC on 19th February as an observer. India has supported the Gaza Peace Plan Initiative of President Trump and the efforts that are underway due to UN Security Council Resolution 2803.”

Responding to questions related to Trump’s remarks on the India-Pakistan conflict, the spokesperson said the Ministry of Defence had already issued clarifications, and suggested that queries on operational aspects be directed there.

Describing Trump’s remarks as “most disquieting”, former Indian foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal stated that Trump was expanding the scope of the Board of Peace. “Our relations with the US are no doubt very important but we should carefully measure the risks involved in overlooking  the threats to our interests from Trump’s fixations,” he said.

Sibal said Trump’s reference to the India-Pakistan conflict at the meeting “suggests that he has a role of the Board in peace making between India and Pakistan”.

Trump used the gathering to project the Board of Peace as a central pillar of his foreign policy. He announced that nine countries had pledged a combined USD 7 billion towards Gaza’s reconstruction and that five countries had committed troops to an international stabilisation force for the Palestinian territory.

Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania agreed to deploy troops, while Egypt and Jordan committed to train Palestinian police personnel. The initial focus of deployment is expected to be Rafah in southern Gaza, a largely destroyed city under Israeli control. Maj Gen Jasper Jeffers, who will lead the newly created international stabilisation force, said plans envisage 12,000 police personnel and 20,000 soldiers for Gaza.

Trump also reiterated that the United States would commit USD 10 billion to the board, though he did not specify how the funds would be sourced or allocated. The pledges so far amount to a fraction of the estimated $70 billion required to rebuild Gaza after two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Countries that pledged financial support include Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait. Trump criticised allies that have not yet formally joined, saying some were “playing cute”, and suggested more countries were in the process of securing legislative approvals.

The Board of Peace was initially proposed as part of Trump’s 20 point plan to end the Gaza conflict and oversee post war stabilisation. Since the October ceasefire, its scope has broadened, with Trump indicating it could address other global conflicts. He said the board would help ensure that the United Nations functions more effectively and would “look over” it to make sure it runs properly.

The draft charter describes the body as a new international organisation and transitional governing administration. It does not explicitly mention Gaza in its preamble and vests significant authority in the chair, including decisions on membership and renewals. Member states would ordinarily serve three year terms.

A central issue remains the disarmament of Hamas, a key Israeli demand and a core element of the ceasefire framework. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there will be no reconstruction without demilitarisation. Trump said Hamas had promised to disarm and warned of severe consequences if it failed to do so, though he offered no operational details.

(With input from AP.)

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