January 6, 2021
Pakistan’s pro-Israel lobby seems unfazed by the Imran Khan government’s persistent denials about Islamabad establishing relations with the Jewish state. The ruling party’s firefighting against such speculation has only resulted in more voices calling for closer ties with Israel.
Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi after returning from his Dubai trip recently put an end to the speculation by emphatically denying any plans of talks with Israel, saying such a move is conditioned upon a permanent resolution to the Palestine issue.
“I categorically presented Pakistan’s stance on Israel to the UAE’s foreign minister that we will not and cannot establish a relationship with Israel until a concrete and permanent solution to the Palestine issue is found,” Qureshi said after his trip to the Gulf nation.