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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and DPM Ishaq Dar interact with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 24, 2025. Courtesy: Foreign Office/X
ISLAMABAD:
As US President Donald Trump prepares to unveil details of a UN-mandated stabilization force for Gaza, Pakistan is keeping its stance deliberately opaque on whether it will commit troops to the proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF).
Trump announced Sunday that member nations of his newly formed peace council have pledged thousands of personnel ahead of its first summit.
But in Islamabad, officials have offered neither confirmation nor denial of Pakistan’s potential participation, signaling caution at a moment of high diplomatic sensitivity.
The first formal meeting of the Board of Peace is scheduled for February 19 in Washington.
Trump is expected to present a multibillion-dollar reconstruction plan for Gaza and outline the structure and mandate of the stabilization force.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to attend the summit, although Pakistani officials have remained tight-lipped about whether troop deployment is on the table.
Security and State Department sources declined to confirm or deny any commitment, saying discussions were ongoing and sensitive. “No decision has been announced,” an official said, requesting anonymity.
The matter is believed to have featured in talks between Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Munich Security Dialogue on Saturday.
Although neither side disclosed details, diplomatic sources indicated that the proposed stabilization force and the contours of its mandate were being reviewed.
Pakistan had previously supported Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace initiative along with key Muslim countries and joined the Board of Peace after its formation was supported by a UN Security Council resolution.
However, Islamabad has publicly maintained that its participation in any force would depend on a clearly defined and limited mandate.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has previously stated that Pakistan would only consider joining a Gaza force if its role was limited to peacekeeping and humanitarian stabilization, not disarming Hamas or attacking any other Palestinian group.
The United States has acknowledged that several member states have reservations about the scope of the ISF’s mandate.
Under Trump’s proposal, Hamas fighters willing to lay down their arms and commit to peaceful coexistence would be offered amnesty, while others could be granted safe passage out of Gaza.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the Board of Peace members would pledge more than $5 billion for reconstruction and humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
He added that several countries had voluntarily committed thousands of troops to the stabilization mission and local policing duties.
US officials said delegations from more than 20 countries, including regional powers such as Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as nations such as Indonesia, would attend the summit.
Although Washington insists the initiative is limited to Gaza, critics have warned that the Board of Peace could develop into a parallel diplomatic platform rivaling the UN.
For Pakistan, any decision to deploy troops would have significant political and security implications, especially given the domestic sensitivities surrounding involvement in a conflict involving Hamas and Israel.
For now, Islamabad appears inclined to await greater clarity on the force’s mandate before publicly revealing its hand.
