ISLAMABAD: Two top officials in Pakistan on Wednesday categorically deniedmedia reports that Pakistani officials had visited Israel or held meetingsin the Jewish state, separately terming the reports “absolutely wrong” and“ridiculous.”
Pakistan currently does not recognize the state of Israel over itsthwarting of Palestinians’ aspirations for a state of their own. Israelcaptured the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the Sinai peninsula and the GazaStrip and the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians wantEast Jerusalem as the capital of their future free state, a demand Pakistanhas supported for decades.
“It is an absolutely wrong news,” Tahir Ashrafi, a special adviser onreligious harmony and the Middle East, told Arab News when asked to confirmthe media reports. “It is an attempt to create chaos, instability inPakistan and malign us in the Muslim world.”
Ashrafi said Pakistan’s stance regarding establishing relations with Israelwas very clear, adding that Islamabad would not recognize Israel until ajust solution to the Palestine conflict was found.
“It is the clear stance of Prime Minister Imran Khan and his cabinet. Thestate of Pakistan including our people, armed forces, institutions andgovernment, are on the same page regarding this issue,” Ashrafi added.
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Special assistant to the prime minister for overseas Pakistanis, SayedZulfiqar Bukhari, called the media reports “ridiculous.”
“It is ridiculous and a pathetic attempt [to malign Pakistan],” Bukharitold Arab News, adding that those spreading these “lies and fairy tales[were] putting lives in danger.”link
