Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday said Pakistan has not yet decided on whether to send personnel to a proposed peacekeeping force for Palestine, stressing that the country’s stance on the issue remains unchanged.
At a press conference in Islamabad, Dar said the matter would be decided by the national leadership, adding that any arrangement must be formally documented at the United Nations. He noted that Indonesia had already offered 25,000 personnel for the Gaza force.
‘Washington document not same as negotiated’
The foreign minister explained that the US had earlier shared a 20-point Gaza peace plan, to which Pakistan suggested amendments before a final draft was agreed upon.
“The document issued by Washington was not the same as the one negotiated,” he remarked.
He further disclosed that discussions had also touched on the creation of a technocratic government in Palestine under international supervision.
According to Dar, positive progress was made on issues such as ceasefire, sustained humanitarian aid and the return of displaced Palestinians.
Dar emphasised that the Palestinian Authority had welcomed the peace plan, while also underlining Pakistan’s role in collective diplomacy.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had forcefully raised the issues of Palestine and Indian-controlled Kashmir in his address to the UN General Assembly. Pakistan, he added, had been actively engaged through the OIC’s six-member committee, the UNGA sessions, and bilateral meetings with world leaders.
Dar also recalled that Pakistan, along with seven other like-minded countries, had raised the Palestinian issue in meetings with then US President Donald Trump. He said Washington did not publish the final consensus draft of the peace plan, which differed from the original 20-point proposal.
During his recent UNGA visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also met IMF officials and leaders from several countries, including Austria, Kuwait, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Canada, Hungary, Bahrain, and the GCC.
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