Will Pakistan Army send troops to Gaza? Will it trigger political backlash? Why should India be upset?

Pakistani Chief of General Staff Asim Munir will meet with US President Donald Trump. (File Image)

All eyes will be on Pakistani Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, as he meets US President Donald Trump at the White House soon. Will he agree to send troops to the Gaza Strip to join the international stabilization force during the transition period? Will the Pakistan Army be dragged into a conflict with Hamas? How will Shehbaz Sharif’s government overcome popular anger over the deployment of the army against Palestinians’ wishes?

Are Pakistani soldiers in the Gaza Strip?

The only Muslim country with nuclear weapons and traditionally good relations with the United States is at a crossroads. At a time when Donald Trump is pushing India into the arms of Russia and China with his transaction-oriented foreign policy, Pakistan will be ready to provide all kinds of support to the country, which has remained distant due to the changing geopolitical dynamics in recent years. Islamabad may see this as an opportunity to ally itself more closely with Washington and distance itself from India. With Donald Trump openly claiming to have mediated between India and Pakistan and halting military clashes between the two countries in May, despite India’s denials otherwise, Pakistan could take advantage of the situation in the Middle East and consolidate its position with the US, much to New Delhi’s chagrin.

(More than 67,000 people were killed in the Gaza-Israel War.)

US-Pakistan Relations

In his meeting with Donald Trump, Asim Munir will most likely discuss the role of the Pakistan Army in the Gaza Strip and explain many controversial issues. Islamabad has not yet said whether it will join the stabilization force in the Middle East. However, Pakistan joined the peace plan even though it was a non-Arab state and had no interest in the Palestinian issue.

Pakistani Gaza soldiers

Under these circumstances, the Pakistani Chief of Defense Staff is likely to make it clear that troops can only be deployed to the Gaza Strip for humanitarian services, such as protecting civilians and facilitating the distribution of aid to the masses. It also makes clear that the mission should be framed according to Islamic and UN controls. It should also make it clear that the Pakistan Army’s role will be strictly non-combat and should not be seen as cooperation with Israel.

(Will the Pakistan Army send its soldiers to the Gaza Strip?)

Pakistan Gaza peacekeeping force

But given the Jewish occupation of Muslim lands and a two-year war in which more than 67,000 Palestinians were killed, Pakistan’s government and military may face public outrage if it appears to be collaborating with the Western world, the United States and Israel. Islamist forces such as Tehreek-e-Insaaf, Pakistan’s main opposition party led by Imran Khan, and Jamaat-e-Islami may find the idea of ​​sending troops hostile. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) may find it blasphemous to collaborate with the Jewish state against Muslims and call for jihad against Islamabad. Street protests and demonstrations in the cities of Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore cannot be ignored. After supporting the Palestinians for decades, they might argue, you can’t suddenly send in troops against their will.

Will Pakistan Army Commander Asim Munir flex his muscles?

Political observers believe that the best option during the tightrope walk is to delay the deployment, if not outright deny it, and publicly announce that the Pakistan Army will not aid, disarm or fight Hamas. Moreover, if Muslim countries such as Qatar and the UAE deploy troops to the Gaza Strip, Pakistan can say why not. However, the paradigm shift in civil-military relations in Pakistan may embolden the army chief to take an extreme approach. After being appointed Chief of General Staff for a period of five years, Asim Münir can use this opportunity to consolidate his position and make moves to test the waters and silence his detractors and bigwig politicians.

(India-US relations appear to have hit rock bottom.)

What can India do?

India may find itself in a catch-22 situation. New Delhi, which secretly supplies arms to the Israeli Defense Force and does nothing in favor of the Palestinians, cannot oppose any steps to aid Israel or deploy a stabilization force. On the other hand, Pakistan may move closer to Tel Aviv and the United States. India, which has been completely sidelined on the Gaza war, will have to witness Pakistan not only making its presence felt but also contributing to it.