Trump-Munir Talks: Will Pakistan Army send troops to Gaza? Will it trigger political backlash? Why should India be upset?

Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir will meet US President Donald Trump. (File Image)

All eyes will be on Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir when 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 stabilisation force during the transition period?  Will the Pakistan Army get sucked into a conflict with Hamas? How will the Shehbaz Sharif government tackle the people’s anger against the deployment of the army against the wishes of Palestinians? 

Pakistan troops in Gaza Strip?

The only Muslim country with nuclear weapons and traditionally good relations with the US is at a crossroads. At a time when Donald Trump is pushing India into the arms of Russia and China with his transaction-based foreign policy, Pakistan would be more than willing to lend all support to the country, which had distanced itself in recent years amid changing geopolitical dynamics. Islamabad may see this as an opportunity to align more closely with Washington and wean itself away from India. The way Donald Trump had openly claimed to have mediated between India and Pakistan and stopped the military clashes between the two countries in May, despite India’s rebuttal, Pakistan may exploit the situation in the Middle East and consolidate its position with the US, much to the chagrin of New Delhi. 

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

US-Pakistan Relations

In the meeting with Donald Trump, Asim Munir is most likely to discuss the Pakistan Army’s role in the Gaza Strip and get many contentious issues explained. Islamabad has not yet said if it would join the stabilization force in the Middle East. However, Pakistan joined the peace plan despite being a non-Arab state with no stakes in the Palestinian question whatsoever. 

Pakistan Gaza troops

Under these circumstances, the Pakistan Army chief is most likely to make it clear that the troops may be deployed in the Gaza Strip strictly for humanitarian services like protecting the civilians and facilitating the distribution of aid to the masses. He also makes it clear that the mission must be framed according to the Islamic and the UN oversights. He must also make it clear that the Pakistan Army’s role would be strictly a non-combat one and it must not be seen as collaborating with Israel. 

(Will the Pakistan Army send its troops to the Gaza STRIP?)

Pakistan Gaza peacekeeping force

However, considering the Jewish occupation in the Muslim territories and the two-year-long war killing more than 67,000 Palestinians, the Pakistani government and the army may face people’s wrath if they are perceived as cooperating with the Western world, the US, and Israel. The main opposition party of Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf and Islamist forces like Jamaat-e-Islami may find the very idea of sending the troops hostile. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) may find it blasphemous to cooperate with the Jewish state against the Muslims and give a call for jihad against Islamabad. Street protests and demonstrations in the cities of Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore cannot be ruled out. After supporting Palestinians for decades, you cannot suddenly send troops against their wishes, they may argue. 

Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir to flex muscles?

Political observers believe the best option amid the tightrope walk is to delay the deployment if not outrightly reject it and announce publicly that the Pakistan Army will help Hamas and not disarm or fight it.  It may also say if the Muslim countries like Qatar and the UAE deploy troops in the Gaza Strip, why not Pakistan? However, the paradigm shift in the civilian-military relations in Pakistan may embolden the army chief to take an extreme approach. After being appointed the Chief of Defence Forces for a period of five years, Asim Munir may use the opportunity to consolidate his position and call his shots 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. After clandestinely supplying arms to the Israel Defence Force and doing nothing in favour of the Palestinians, New Delhi cannot oppose any move to help Israel or deploy the stabilisation force. On the other hand, Pakistan may move close to Tel Aviv and closer to the US. After getting completely sidelined on the issue of the Gaza war, India will have to witness how Pakistan has not only made its presence felt, but it has also contributed to it.