Pakistan may deploy its troops as part of Gaza peacekeeping force, says Ishaq Dar

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated that the government will consider sending Pakistani troops as part of a peacekeeping force in Gaza if the so-called peace plan proposed by Donald Trump goes ahead.

In a recent interview, Dar disclosed that Pakistan, along with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and other major Islamic countries, had proposed their own amendments after collective discussions and submitted them to Trump for inclusion in the Gaza peace plan.

When asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to withdraw forces from the enclave, Dar explained that Muslim countries had put forward the demand for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops. However, he added that these amendments were not reflected in the detailed plan released by the White House.

The Deputy Prime Minister further remarked that Muslim states would continue to press their terms and conditions before allowing the peace plan to move forward. Yet, he did not clarify whether Trump had accepted their proposed changes or whether he would ask Netanyahu to withdraw Israel’s occupation forces from Gaza.

As the peace pact envisions a multinational Muslim force stationed in Gaza once the Israeli offensive comes to a halt, Dar said his government would consider deploying Pakistani troops. He emphasised that such a force would be present only to support the local Palestinian law enforcement authorities.