No Troops, No Traction? US-Pakistan Ties Strained Over Gaza ISF Plan, Say Sources

Last Updated:February 20, 2026, 10:35 IST

Sources indicate the US has pledged to underwrite financial contributions on Pakistan’s behalf, insisting what is required from Islamabad is a troop commitment to the ISF.

A cloud of uncertainty appears to hang over high-level contacts between Shehbaz Sharif’s government in Pakistan and the Donald Trump administration in US, as diplomatic sources in Washington point to mounting frustration over Pakistan’s reluctance to commit troops to the proposed international stabilisation force (ISF) in Gaza.

According to senior diplomatic sources familiar with recent exchanges, what was initially planned as a full-fledged visit to the United States from February 18 to 22 was quietly scaled back. The Pakistani Prime Minister’s engagements were reduced to brief meetings, while Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, skipped the trip altogether. Sources claim the changes were linked to Islamabad’s failure to present a concrete roadmap for deploying Pakistani troops as part of a multinational force in Gaza.

At the centre of the reported friction is Washington’s push for Muslim-majority nations to contribute forces to a post-conflict stabilisation mechanism in Gaza. The Trump administration, sources say, has already secured what they describe as a “green signal" from seven countries — Indonesia, Morocco, Albania, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Egypt and Jordan — to support the initiative in varying capacities. In this context, Pakistan’s hesitation has drawn attention.

Sources allege that Field Marshal Munir had earlier conveyed willingness in principle to consider troop deployment during an interaction with President Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The understanding, sources claim, was followed up in subsequent meetings, including one with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Munich. During that meeting, Munir is said to have requested additional time, citing internal sensitivities.

Those sensitivities reportedly include resistance from sections of Pakistan’s political and religious spectrum, including hardline groups such as Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), as well as concerns within Parliament and the military establishment. According to the same sources, Islamabad fears that deploying troops to Gaza could trigger domestic unrest or deepen political fault lines at home.

Washington, however, appears to be growing impatient. Sources indicate that the US has even pledged to underwrite financial contributions on Pakistan’s behalf, insisting that what is required from Islamabad is a troop commitment to the ISF. Despite what insiders describe as “good offices" and offers extended by President Trump’s team, Pakistan has yet to submit a formal agenda, timeline or operational framework for deployment.

The optics of the diplomatic strain were reportedly visible during the inaugural session of the Gaza Board of Peace, where Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appeared uncomfortable and politically cornered, according to observers familiar with the proceedings. Some sources went as far as to describe the treatment meted out to the Pakistani delegation as “embarrassing," reflecting dissatisfaction over unfulfilled commitments.

Even so, US officials are said to remain in close coordination with both Pakistan’s civilian leadership and its military establishment. The Trump administration, sources stress, has not shut the door on Islamabad’s participation and remains hopeful that Pakistan will ultimately join the stabilisation effort.

For Islamabad, the decision now carries strategic weight. Continued delay tactics, sources warn, could strain ties at a sensitive geopolitical juncture.

News world No Troops, No Traction? US-Pakistan Ties Strained Over Gaza ISF Plan, Say Sources

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