ISLAMABAD

Pakistan said Saturday that while it is ready to contribute to a possible international stabilization force in Gaza, it is “not ready” to disarm Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

“If the purpose of deploying an international stabilization force in Palestine is to disarm Hamas, then we are not ready for that, that's not our job," Ishaq Dar, the deputy premier and foreign minister, told reporters in Islamabad, adding: "That is job of Palestinian law enforcement agencies."

He said if the force’s objective is peacekeeping, then Islamabad is “definitely” ready to contribute to it.

“Prime Minister (Shehbaz Sharif) had agreed in principle that we would also send forces, but we will decide only after knowing what the terms of reference, terms of action, and mandate will be,” he added.

Dar said he was present during the initial talks when the issue of the stabilization force was discussed and Indonesia had offered 20,000 troops.

"But as per my information, if it will include disarming Hamas, then even my Indonesian counterpart has informally expressed his reservations," said Dar.

Earlier this month, the UN Security Council passed a US-drafted resolution for establishing a new transitional board of peace and authorizing an international stabilization force to oversee governance, reconstruction, and security efforts in the Gaza Strip.

The resolution stipulates that the board and ISF (stabilization force) "presences authorized by this resolution shall remain authorized until Dec. 31, 2027, subject to further action by the (Security) Council, and (that) any further reauthorization of the ISF be in full cooperation and coordination with Egypt and Israel and other Member States continuing to work with the ISF."