Pakistan weighs role in proposed Palestine peace force: FM Dar

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan has not yet decided whether to commit personnel to a proposed international peace force for Palestine, stressing that the country’s policy on the issue remains unchanged. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, he defended Islamabad’s support for a US-backed Gaza peace plan and noted that ground operations would primarily fall to local law enforcement. Dar said Indonesia had already offered 20,000 personnel for the envisaged force and that any Pakistani participation would be determined by the national leadership and documented under a United Nations framework. He clarified there is no direct deal with Israel, adding that Pakistan has engaged with the United States, which in turn is liaising with Israel. Dar referenced the 20-point blueprint unveiled by President Donald Trump, which calls for a ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, a phased Israeli withdrawal, disarmament of Hamas and a transitional administration overseen by an international body. He said several countries expect Hamas to accept the plan and that an independent technocratic government led by Palestinians is part of the proposal. The minister also recapped Pakistan’s engagements on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, including meetings with IMF officials and leaders from regional states, and reiterated Islamabad’s stance that a solution must be based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.