Asim Munir's US Challenge As Trump Pushes Pakistan To Send Troops To Gaza

Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan's all-powerful defence chief, is reportedly looking at the toughest test of his expanding stronghold on Islamabad as the United States pushes the South Asian nation to send troops to Gaza. Munir is facing a two-edged sword, as contributing Pakistani troops to the Gaza stabilisation force could spark a domestic backlash, but backing away from the request could annoy US President Donald Trump, according to experts.

Munir is expected to fly to Washington to meet with Trump in the coming weeks, news agency Reuters reported. This will be the third meeting between Trump and Munir in six months that will likely focus on the Gaza force, two sources told Reuters, one of whom is closely involved in Munir's economic outreach to the US.

Trump's proposed 20-point Gaza plan calls for troops from Muslim-majority nations to oversee a transition period following the withdrawal of Israeli forces for reconstruction and economic recovery in the war-torn Palestinian territory. Gaza has been devastated by more than two years of war between Israeli forces and Hamas. 

But many nations are wary of the mission to demilitarise Gaza's Islamist group Hamas, which could drag them into the conflict and enrage their pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli populations. Experts told Reuters that the move risks pulling foreign troops deeper into the conflict and could inflame pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli public opinion at home.

Pressure On Asim Munir

But the situation is more precarious for Munir, as he has built a close relationship with the mercurial Trump to repair years of mistrust between Washington and Islamabad. In June, he was rewarded with a White House lunch – the first time a US president hosted Pakistan's army chief alone, without civilian officials – and he couldn't risk annoying him

"Not contributing (to the Gaza stabilisation force) could annoy Trump, 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," Michael Kugelman, Senior Fellow, South Asia at the Washington-based Atlantic Council, told Reuters.

Pakistan is the world's only Muslim country with nuclear weapons and has a battle-hardened military, having gone to war with its neighbours several times over the years. It has also tackled insurgencies in its far-flung regions and is currently embroiled in a bruising battle with Islamist terrorists who it says are operating from Afghanistan.

Pakistan's military strength means "there is a greater pressure on Munir to deliver his capacity," said author and defence analyst Ayesha Siddiqa.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said last month that Islamabad could consider contributing troops for peacekeeping, but disarming Hamas "is not our job." 

Asim Munir's Rise To Power

Munir was appointed chief of the defence forces earlier this month to head the air force and navy, with a job extension until 2030.  He will retain his field marshal title forever, as well as enjoy lifetime immunity from any criminal prosecution under the constitutional amendments that Pakistan's civilian government pushed through parliament late last month.

"Few people in Pakistan enjoy the luxury of being able to take risks more than Munir. He has unbridled power, now constitutionally protected," Kugelman added. 

"Ultimately, it will be Munir's rules, and his rules only."

Over the past few weeks, Munir has met military and civilian leaders from countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and Qatar, according to the military's statements, which Siddiqa said appeared to be consultations on the Gaza force. 

Pak's US Problem

But the big concern at home is that the involvement of Pakistani troops in Gaza under a US-backed plan could reignite protests from Pakistan's Islamist parties that are deeply opposed to the US and Israel. The Islamists have street power to mobilise thousands. A powerful and violent anti-Israel Islamist party that fights for upholding Pakistan's ultra-strict blasphemy laws was banned in October.

Authorities arrested its leaders and over 1,500 supporters and seized its assets and bank accounts in an ongoing crackdown, officials said. While Islamabad has outlawed the group, its ideology is still alive.

The party of former jailed premier Imran Khan, whose supporters won the most seats in the 2024 national elections and have wide public support, also has an axe to grind against Munir. 

Abdul Basit, Senior Associate Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said if things escalated once the Gaza force was on the ground, it would cause problems quickly. "People will say, 'Asim Munir is doing Israel's bidding' - it will be foolhardy of anyone not to see it coming."