Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday said Pakistan was ready to commit its troops to the Gaza peace force, but distanced the country from any role in disarming the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
A cornerstone of the United States-brokered Gaza Peace Agreement is the establishment of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), composed mainly of troops from Muslim-majority countries. According to officials close to the discussions, an announcement is expected soon from the federal government regarding the decision.
Officials familiar with the deliberations, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said discussions within the government and military establishment were at an “advanced stage”. According to them, the tone of internal consultations suggests that Islamabad is inclined to take part in the mission.
Last week, the UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted a US-drafted resolution endorsing President Donald Trump’s plan to end the conflict in Gaza. The plan also authorises the ISF for the Palestinian enclave. Thirteen UNSC members, including Pakistan, voted in favour of the resolution, while Russia and China abstained. However, Hamas rejected the resolution and also decried the establishment of an international force whose “mission includes the disarmament” of Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza.
The foreign minister said the matter of Hamas’ disarmament first came up during a meeting in Riyadh on the two-state solution. The foreign minister was speaking at a press conference held today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We are not ready for that. This is not our job, but of the Palestinian law enforcement agencies. Our job is peacekeeping, not peace enforcement. We are definitely ready to contribute to the force — the prime minister has in principle already announced after consultation with the field marshal that we will contribute — but this decision can not be taken until it is decided what its [ISF] mandate and TOR (terms of reference) will be.”
“As per my information, if it will include disarming Hamas, then even my Indonesian counterpart has informally expressed his reservation.”
Dar said he was present at the initial talks when the matter of the force was raised, adding that Indonesia had offered 20,000 troops and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also signalled “in principle” that Pakistan would positively consider its participation.
