Pakistan “will not and cannot develop a relationship with Israel until a concrete and lasting solution to the Palestine problem is found”.
Pakistan has made it clear to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that Islamabad can only recognize Israel if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not resolved.
“I categorically presented Pakistan’s position on Israel to the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, that we will not and cannot develop a relationship with Israel until a concrete and lasting solution to the Palestine problem is found,” said Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters in downtown Multan on Monday.
Qureshi’s statement came days after his visit to the United Arab Emirates, which was viewed by many as crucial as rumors said Islamabad had secretly sent a messenger to Israel.
Islamabad denied the reports, which appeared mainly in the Israeli media.
When asked about reports of alleged pressure from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states to recognize Israel, Qureshi replied to his counterpart in the United Arab Emirates, the “depth of feelings and feelings Pakistanis have towards Palestine and Kashmir”.
The Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates “fully understood our feelings on both issues”.
He rejected reports of pressure on Islamabad to recognize Israel, saying, “Number one, there will be no pressure on us and there is none. Number two, we have to make decisions that are based on Pakistan’s interests and not because of pressure. We have a policy and we still stand firm. “
He said Prime Minister Imran Khan had “made it clear over and over again that there is no pressure on us in this regard”.
Khan hit the headlines last month when he revealed that Islamabad was under pressure from some “friendly” nations to recognize Israel.
Although he stopped naming the countries, despite being repeatedly asked whether they were Muslim or non-Muslim countries, many believe the Pakistani leader was referring to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco have recently established diplomatic and economic ties with Israel, while some other Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, are also reportedly considering options to normalize relations.
In recent years, Pakistan’s relations with its traditional allies in the Gulf have come under pressure due to Islamabad’s “neutrality” on various issues, including the war in Yemen and the blockade against Qatar by a Saudi-led Arab alliance.
Riyadh also appears upset by Islamabad’s criticism of its lukewarm stance on Pakistan’s longstanding dispute with India over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir, which has been fully alleged by both South Asian neighbors.
Visa restrictions
Meanwhile, Pakistani Foreign Minister Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry said in a statement on Sunday that Qureshi had also raised the issue of visa restrictions for Pakistani nationals at the meeting with his counterpart in the UAE.
He said Qureshi had been reassured that the visa restrictions were “temporary” and were imposed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last month, the UAE stopped issuing new visas to citizens from 13 predominantly Muslim countries. The decision went into effect on November 18 and included citizens from Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Kenya, Lebanon, Tunisia, Algeria, Turkey and Iran.
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