Islamabad: Pakistan will require clear assurances from the United States before committing troops to Gaza as part of a proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF), according to three government sources.
YouTube Restores Services After Global Outage Disrupts Video Recommendations
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to attend the first formal meeting of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace in Washington on Thursday, alongside delegations from more than 20 countries. President Trump, who will chair the meeting, is expected to unveil a multi-billion dollar reconstruction framework for Gaza and outline plans for a UN-authorised stabilisation force for the Palestinian territory.
Government sources said Prime Minister Shehbaz intends to seek clarity regarding the ISF’s mandate, legal authority, and command structure before making any decision on troop deployment.
“We are ready to send troops, but they can only be part of a peacekeeping mission in Gaza,” said one senior aide to the prime minister. “We will not participate in any role involving the disarmament of Hamas. That is out of the question.”
Pakistan’s position underscores its insistence that any military contribution must strictly fall under a peacekeeping framework rather than an enforcement or combat mandate.
Last month, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi reaffirmed that Pakistan would remain engaged in international efforts aimed at achieving peace and security in Gaza in accordance with United Nations resolutions. Islamabad has repeatedly stated at international forums that it is prepared to play a constructive role in efforts toward a lasting solution to the Palestine issue.
President Trump launched the Board of Peace initiative during the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos in late January. The proposed 20-point Gaza plan envisions a multinational force, primarily comprising Muslim-majority countries, overseeing a transitional phase of reconstruction and economic recovery in the war-devastated enclave.
Analysts say Pakistan’s experienced military could be a valuable asset to such a force, given its history of conventional warfare and counterinsurgency operations. However, officials emphasized that any deployment would depend entirely on the clarity of the mission’s scope.
While Islamabad has supported the establishment of the Board of Peace, it has expressed reservations about any proposal that includes the demilitarisation of Hamas as part of the stabilisation mission.
