Pakistani journalist exposes Gaza ‘peace mission’: Asim Munir demanded $10,000 per soldier, Israel offered $100

Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim munir - File Photo

A fresh controversy has erupted in Islamabad after prominent Pakistani journalist Asma Shirazi claimed that Army Chief General Asim Munir allegedly demanded 10,000 dollars per soldier from Israel in exchange for sending Pakistani troops to Gaza -- a figure Israel reportedly rejected, offering only 100 dollars per soldier instead. The revelation has sparked speculation of a serious rift between Pakistan’s powerful military establishment and Israeli officials over what critics are describing as an “unprincipled attempt to monetise a conflict.”

According to Shirazi, the disagreement has effectively derailed what Pakistan had been portraying as a “peacekeeping deployment” to post-war Gaza. Instead, the episode now risks exposing Islamabad’s transactional approach to international crises, where even humanitarian missions appear tied to financial bargaining.

The revelation comes just days after the Field Marshal's secret visit to Egypt, where he reportedly held closed-door meetings with senior Israeli intelligence and CIA officials. The meetings, according to CNN-News18, were aimed at finalising Pakistan’s troop contribution to a proposed post-war stabilisation mission in Gaza.

The Pakistani Army had presented the troop offer as a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people, hoping to repair its international image after months of domestic instability and political crackdowns. However, the reports of Munir’s financial demands have cast a shadow over Islamabad’s credibility and raised questions about whether Pakistan’s military was motivated by profit rather than peace.

Observers say this controversy is a reflection of a deeper pattern: Pakistan’s military seeking economic or political dividends from global conflicts while projecting itself as a defender of Muslim causes. Critics argue that such actions not only undermine Pakistan’s moral standing but also expose its dependence on foreign funding to sustain its military ambitions.

If Shirazi’s claims are accurate, Pakistan’s so-called “solidarity mission” to Gaza may well be remembered less as an act of compassion and more as another example of Islamabad’s opportunism on the world stage.