Pakistan is ready to send troops to a proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza but will not take part in any mission aimed at disarming Palestinian group Hamas, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said.

Dar told a press conference in Islamabad that Pakistan had made it clear that the deployment of any peace force in Gaza must be authorised by the UN Security Council.

Addressing questions about the ISF’s proposed role in disarming Hamas, he said Pakistan — like several other key countries — was not prepared to support such a mandate, insisting that disarmament was the responsibility of Palestinian law-enforcement authorities.

Dar added that Malaysia had also raised objections over assigning the ISF a disarmament role.

The foreign minister said Pakistan was willing to contribute to a Gaza peace force, but only after its terms of reference, mandate and operational scope were clearly defined.

Until these elements were agreed upon, he noted, Pakistan could not take a final decision on participation.

Responding to a question about Afghanistan, Dar said Pakistan is ready to expand cooperation with Afghanistan if the Taliban take concrete and verifiable action against terrorists operating from its soil.

Speaking to the media after a briefing on his recent international engagements, Dar stressed that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only way forward.

He cited his three visits to Kabul between April and August this year as evidence of Pakistan’s sincerity in resolving regional issues.

“Problems like terrorism cannot be solved by any country alone; they require cooperation and unity of effort,” he said.

Dar also confirmed that Pakistan is considering a United Nations request to allow the delivery of essential humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

He noted, however, that ongoing attacks by Afghan-based terrorist groups targeting Pakistani civilians limit the scope for sympathy.