Special Reporter, Daily Dawn, Dawn TV Report
Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revealed that Pakistan has agreed to join the proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza, but he refrained from confirming the final deployment of troops.
Pakistan attended a conference in Qatar, hosted by the US Central Command. The conference discussed the command structure of the ISF and other pending operational issues. About 45 countries, including Pakistan, participated in the meeting.
Asked whether Washington had received Pakistan’s consent to deploy troops to Gaza to help with peacekeeping, Rubio said, “The United States is very grateful to Pakistan for offering to be part of this process, or at least for expressing a willingness to consider it.” He added that more clarification is needed before any formal commitment can be made by any country.
He said, “I am confident that we have a number of countries that are acceptable to all parties and are willing to be part of this stabilization force, and if Pakistan agrees to it, it would certainly be an important country.”
According to Marco Rubio, important issues related to the mandate, command structure, and funding arrangements of the force are still being considered.
He said, “I think the next step is the announcement of a peace board and a Palestinian technocratic group, which will provide day-to-day governance.”
He said that once this system is in place, it will be possible to finalize the stabilization force, including how it will be financed, what its rules will be, and what its role will be in demilitarization.
The US State Department has formally approached more than 70 countries to seek military or financial support for the proposed force. So far, 19 countries have reportedly expressed their willingness to cooperate by providing troops, logistics, or equipment, while the international deployment in Gaza could begin as early as next month.
Diplomatic sources told Nawa-e-Waqt, Dawn TV, and Daily Dawn that Pakistan is considering deploying 3,500 troops under the ISF.
Marco Rubio’s statements came a day after Pakistan clarified its official position. Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said that Islamabad has not yet decided to provide military troops to the ISF and that discussions are still in the initial stages.
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