Gaza troop option on table, says Asif

Minister says decision 'being finalised, in process'

ISLAMABAD:

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said a decision on sending Pakistani troops for the Gaza peace force is still being finalised.

"This thing has to be finalised [and] it is in process. The government will take a decision after passing through the process and I don't want to preempt it," Asif said while talking to a private news channel on Tuesday.

The defence minister said parliament would be taken onboard and all institutions would be informed about the move.

"If Muslim countries take a decision to participate in the peace force and Pakistan also has to take part, then it will be a moment of pride for the country to play a role in protecting Palestinians. This is an opportunity that Pakistan should avail if it is available to us," he added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting rejected Indian propaganda regarding the alleged deployment of Pakistani troops in Gaza and claims about Pakistan recognizing Israel in the coming days.

In a statement shared on X, the ministry said the Indian publication Firstpost falsely claimed that a deal had been made between Pakistan's military leadership, the CIA, and Mossad, and further alleged that 20,000 Pakistani troops would be sent to Gaza under that supposed agreement.

Responding to the claim, it stated that Pakistan has never recognized Israel nor has there been any discussion or plan regarding troop deployment. The ministry said both the Inter-Services Public Relations and the Foreign Office have "never confirmed or announced any military mission in Gaza".

It said Firstpost had violated journalistic ethics by quoting a private newspaper's statement out of context, adding that the so-called "intelligence leaks" and other claims in the Indian report were fabricated and misleading.

The ministry pointed out that Firstpost relied on sources like CNN-News18, "which have a history of publishing unverified and false reports". It reaffirmed that Pakistan's stance on Palestinian self-determination is clear and principled.

"The state-backed Indian media, acting under the direction of the brutal Modi regime, has once again resorted to absurd and laughable propaganda," it added.

According to Firstpost, Pakistan was preparing to send up to 20,000 soldiers to the Gaza Strip as part of an international stabilisation force under a deal with the US and Israel. It claimed that the Pakistani troops would act as a buffer force between Israel and Gaza's remaining armed factions.

On October 8, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement and signed the first phase of a deal to end a two-year long genocidal war that resulted in the death of over 60,000 Palestinians mostly women and children,

Under the plan, the US will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza.

The ISF will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field.

This force will be the long-term internal security solution. It will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces.

"It is critical to prevent munitions from entering Gaza and to facilitate the rapid and secure flow of goods to rebuild and revitalize Gaza," the agreement added.