Hafiz Naeem urges Pakistan to quit Trump’s Board of Peace after Iran attack

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), has urged the government to withdraw from what he described as the “so-called Board of Peace (BoP),” asserting that US President Donald Trump would be remembered as a war criminal.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Hafiz Naeem accused the United States and Israel of launching a war against Iran and committing human rights violations worldwide. He claimed that Iran was “being punished” for supporting Gaza in its conflict with Israel.

The JI chief alleged that 165 schoolgirls were killed at the outset of the conflict and labelled the actions of the US and Israel as those of “war criminals.” He stressed that the Muslim world must stand in solidarity with Iran, arguing that Israel’s broader objective extends beyond Tehran to include Pakistan and its nuclear programme.

“This is not just Iran’s war; it is also Pakistan’s war,” he said, adding that Israel must be stopped in Iran to curb any further expansion of its regional influence.

Hafiz Naeem warned that if regime change were imposed in Iran and a “puppet government” installed, Israeli influence could reach Pakistan’s borders. He called on Pakistan and other Islamic nations to withdraw from the Board of Peace and urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to admit that joining the BoP had been a mistake.

Criticising the authorities’ response to a protest at the US Consulate in Karachi, he questioned the use of force against demonstrators. He argued that there were alternative methods to disperse protesters peacefully and maintained that no authority has the right to open direct fire on civilians.

He demanded accountability from both the Sindh provincial and federal governments and sought clarification over reports alleging that US Marines were involved in the firing during the incident.

Earlier, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif stated that the Zionist agenda behind the Iran conflict aims to extend Israel’s influence to Pakistan’s borders. Writing on X amid rising regional tensions following the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes, he warned that the strategic objectives of Western and allied powers could pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s security.