Pakistan's top leadership to decide on deployment of troops in Gaza: Ishaq Dar

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the country’s top leadership will make the final decision on whether to send troops to Gaza as part of a proposed peacekeeping force of Muslim nations, under a new peace plan aimed at ending the conflict in the region.

On Tuesday, Dar made the remarks at a press conference while responding to a question on Pakistan’s role in the peace plan announced by US President Donald Trump on Monday.

Ishaq Dar said that the idea behind the plan is to ensure peace and stability in Gaza through a multi-layered arrangement.

"The idea is to have an independent Palestinian government of technocrats there. It will be overseen by an international oversight body, which, too, will mostly comprise Palestinians," he said.

He clarified that the proposed force would serve as a peacekeeping mission. "The force (here) is a peacekeeping force. On the ground, there will be Palestinian law-enforcement agencies...there will be (separate) forces supporting them. Indonesia has offered 20,000 troops for that. I am sure Pakistan's leadership will also be making a decision on this," he added.

Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan has already asked for the arrangement to be formally documented at the UN Security Council to ensure international legitimacy.

MUSLIM LEADERS MET TRUMP IN NEW YORK

The foreign minister also shared details of the meeting between Muslim leaders and President Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York last week. Leaders from eight Muslim countries held discussions with the US president to explore ways to end the bloodshed in Gaza.

"The objectives were to try for a ceasefire in Gaza, make arrangements for sending humanitarian aid, stop the forced displacement of Palestinians and make arrangements for the return of the displaced Gazans," Dar explained.

He added that Muslim leaders also wanted a plan for Gaza’s reconstruction and to stop Israel’s attempts to annex the West Bank. "When these objectives were conveyed to him (Trump) and he was asked to work with us on achieving them," Dar said, "the US president then proposed that his team would devise a workable solution with the foreign ministers of the eight Muslim countries that were part of the meeting."

Dar further revealed that Saudi Arabia had taken the lead in building regional consensus on the peace plan.

"I had received messages from the Saudi foreign minister about the peace plan for ending the bloodshed. He told me that five countries had reached a consensus on a joint statement (regarding the Gaza plan) and that our agreement was needed on this matter as well, and that they had also reached out to Indonesia and the UAE," he said.

According to Dar, Pakistan sought revisions before giving its consent. "I then consulted the foreign secretary and proposed some changes. I spoke to the Saudi foreign minister again...as I had some objections...He then sent me a revised version...and the joint statement was released," he noted.

- Ends

With inputs from PTI

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