Islamabad: Pakistan's all-powerful defence chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is caught in a tight spot after US president Trump sought Islamabad to send troops to Gaza, which many in his country would view as toeing the US line.
However, refusing it could mean taking a more stubborn stand at the cost of annoying mercurial US president, thus collapsing the bonhomie between them.
NDTV reported citing experts that Munir was facing a ‘two-edge sword’ because sending troops could lead to ‘domestic backlash’ in Pakistan.
It is reported that Munir is set to fly to Washington in the coming weeks to meet Trump for the third time in six months.
The Gaza plan that Trump proposed includes bringing troops from Muslim-majority nations to oversee the transition period after the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
The move is said to be for ‘reconstruction and economic recovery’ in the Palestinian territory which saw one of the most devastating conflicts in modern history between Israeli forces and Hamas for over two years.
Many however view that demilitarizing Hamas could drag them again into conflict alongside enraging pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli groups.
Reuters reported citing experts that foreign troops could be pulled deeper into the conflict, inflaming pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli public opinion at home.
Munir has built a close relationship with Trump bringing Pakistan back into the US fold after years of mistrust, cementing it with a White House lunch.
It was the first time a US president hosted a Pakistan’s army chief without inviting civilian officials.
Michael Kugelman, Senior Fellow, South Asia at the Washington-based Atlantic Council told Reuters that Islamabad refusing to send troops to Gaza could annoy Trump, adding ‘which is no small matter for a Pakistani state that appears quite keen to remain in his good graces – in great part to secure US investment and security aid.’
Author and defence analyst Ayesha Siddiqa said that Pakistan’s military power could mean ‘greater pressure on Munir to deliver his capacity’.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that his country would consider sending peacekeeping troops but added that disarming Hamas was not ‘our job’.
Sending Pakistani troops to Gaza could trigger Islamist parties in Pakistan, opposing the US and Israel, to hit streets with protests.