Pakistan Affirms Refusal to Participate in Hamas Disarmament

Pakistan wants guarantees from the United States that its troops, which may be deployed to Gaza as part of an international stabilisation force, would serve in a peacekeeping mission and not be involved in efforts to disarm the Islamic resistance movement Hamas.

Reuters news agency, citing three government sources, reported on Thursday (19 February) that Pakistan has firmly stated its position. “We will not be involved in any other role, such as disarming Hamas,” officials said.

Pakistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated: “If the purpose of deploying an international stabilisation force in Palestine is to disarm Hamas, then we are not prepared for that; that is not our task.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was scheduled to attend the first formal meeting of the Board of Peace launched by US President Donald Trump in Washington, alongside delegations from at least 20 countries.

Countries that had initially indicated willingness to contribute troops, such as Azerbaijan and Pakistan, have declared they would not participate if the objective of the International Stabilisation Force is to disarm Hamas. They would only act as peacekeeping forces and would not be involved in any Hamas disarmament plans.

The stance reflects a broader reluctance among Muslim-majority nations to be seen as acting against Palestinian armed groups, even as they express willingness to contribute to post-conflict stabilisation and humanitarian efforts in Gaza.