-Clarifies Pakistan’s position on Palestine issue
-PM wants a just settlement, says spokesperson
By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Tuesday termed as ‘fabricated’ the media reports claiming that Prime Minister Imran Khan in an interview had mentioned the pressure of United States on Pakistan to recognize Israel.
FO Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said the Prime Minister had clearly articulated Pakistan’s position that unless a just settlement of the Palestine issue which was satisfactory to the Palestinian people, Pakistan could not recognize Israel.
He said the Prime Minister had stressed that Pakistan’s policy in this regard was rooted in Quaid-e-Azam’s vision.
“The Prime Minister’s remarks are an unequivocal reaffirmation of Pakistan’s position on the subject, leaving no room for baseless speculation,” he said.The FO Spokesperson said Pakistan will continue to support a two-state solution in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions as well as international law, with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of Palestine.
Days before the misquoted news was circulating on international media and social media that PM Khan said “the United States and at least one other country are pressuring Pakistan to formally recognize Israel”, while the actual quotation was “the pressure is because of Israel’s deep impact in the United States.
This was in fact extraordinary during Trump’s stint.”Khan said in a televised interview last week that his country would not consider normalization with Israel unless there is a just solution with the Palestinians. Asked whether Muslim countries have been pressuring Pakistan, Khan replied “Leave this. There are things we cannot say.” Khan then referred to Pakistan’s economic dependence on certain countries. “We have good relations with them,” he said, without naming the countries. “Let us stand on our own feet in terms of economy, then you may ask these questions,” Khan answered.
Israel has recently signed normalization deals with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan – three countries that broke with the Arab consensus on the subject, which was that ties with Israel should be predicated on the creation of a Palestinian state. The deals were brokered by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Referring to the legacy of the country’s founding father Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Khan said he will follow his policy. “I have no second thought to recognize Israel unless there is a just settlement, which satisfies Palestinians.”
Khan also addressed Islamabad’s future relations with President-elect Joe Biden, saying he does not believe there will be a fundamental change in policy regarding Afghanistan, but that “the real issue is Israel. It is to be seen how he deals with that. Whether he changes Trump’s policies or continues with them.” On Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas thanked Khan for his comments. “We highly appreciate your adherence to your positions in support of the Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate rights,” Abbas said in the letter.
