Pakistan has said that while it is ready to contribute to a possible international stabilisation force in Gaza, it is “not ready” to disarm Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
“If the purpose of deploying an international stabilisation force in Palestine is to disarm Hamas, then we are not ready for that; that's not our job," Ishaq Dar, the deputy premier and foreign minister, told reporters in Islamabad, adding:
"That is the job of Palestinian law enforcement agencies."
He said if the force’s objective is peacekeeping, then Islamabad is “definitely” ready to contribute to it.
“The prime minister (Shehbaz Sharif) had agreed in principle that we would also send forces, but we will decide only after knowing what the terms of reference, terms of action, and mandate will be,” he added.
Dar said he was present during the initial talks when the issue of the stabilisation force was discussed, and Indonesia had offered 20,000 troops.
"But as per my information, if it will include disarming Hamas, then even my Indonesian counterpart has informally expressed his reservations," said Dar.
Earlier this month, the UN Security Council passed a US-drafted resolution for establishing a new transitional board of peace and authorising an international stabilisation force to oversee governance, reconstruction, and security efforts in Gaza.
The resolution stipulates that the board and ISF (stabilisation force) "presences authorised by this resolution shall remain authorised until December 31, 2027, subject to further action by the (Security) Council, and (that) any further reauthorisation of the ISF be in full cooperation and coordination with Egypt and Israel and other Member States continuing to work with the ISF."
