ISLAMABAD:

As US President Donald Trump prepares to unveil details of a UN-authorised stabilisation force for Gaza, Pakistan is keeping its position deliberately opaque on whether it will commit troops to the proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF).

Trump announced on Sunday that member states of his newly formed Board of Peace have pledged thousands of personnel ahead of its maiden summit.

However, in Islamabad, officials have offered neither confirmation nor denial about Pakistan’s potential participation, signalling 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 multi-billion-dollar reconstruction blueprint for Gaza and outline the structure and mandate of the stabilisation force.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is slated to attend the summit, though Pakistani officials have remained tight-lipped on whether troop deployment is on the table.

Security and Foreign Office sources declined to confirm or deny any commitment, saying discussions were ongoing and sensitive. “No decision has been made public,” one 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.

While neither side disclosed specifics, diplomatic sources indicated that the proposed stabilisation force and the contours of its mandate were reviewed.

Pakistan had earlier endorsed Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace initiative alongside key Muslim countries and joined the Board of Peace after its formation was backed 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 were confined strictly to peacekeeping and humanitarian stabilisation, not to disarm Hamas or targeting any other Palestinian group.

The United States has acknowledged that several member states harbour reservations about the scope of the ISF’s mandate.

Under Trump’s proposal, Hamas fighters willing to lay down 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 multiple countries had voluntarily committed thousands of troops for the stabilisation 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 like Indonesia, would attend the summit.

Although Washington insists the initiative is confined to Gaza, critics have warned that the Board of Peace could evolve into a parallel diplomatic platform competing with the United Nations.

For Pakistan, any decision to deploy troops would carry substantial political and security implications, especially given 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.