Pakistan says it has made it clear to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that Islamabad cannot recognise Israel until the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolved.
\u201cI categorically presented Pakistan\u2019s stance on Israel to the UAE\u2019s 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,\u201d Pakistan\u2019s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters in the central city of Multan on Monday.
Qureshi\u2019s statement came days after his visit to the UAE, which was seen by many as crucial amid rumours that Islamabad had secretly sent a messenger to Israel.
Islamabad denied the reports, which appeared mainly in the Israeli media.
Responding to questions regarding reports about alleged pressure from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states for recognition of Israel, Qureshi said he explained to his UAE counterpart the \u201cdepth of emotions and feelings Pakistanis have about Palestine and Kashmir\u201d.
The UAE foreign minister, he contended, \u201cfully understood our feelings\u201d on the two issues.
Rebuffing reports about pressure on Islamabad to recognise Israel, he said, \u201cNumber one, there will be no pressure on us nor there is. Number two, we have to make decisions keeping Pakistan\u2019s interests in view and not because of any pressure. We have a policy and we are still steadfast on it.\u201d
He said Prime Minister Imran Khan had \u201ctime and again clarified there is no pressure on us in this regard\u201d.
Khan made headlines last month when he revealed that Islamabad had been under pressure from some \u201cfriendly\u201d nations to recognise Israel.
Although he stopped short of 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 UAE.
The UAE, Bahrain and Morocco recently established diplomatic and economic relations with Israel, while reports suggest some other Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, are also weighing the options to normalise ties.
In recent years, Pakistan\u2019s relations with its traditional Gulf allies have come under strain due to Islamabad\u2019s \u201cneutrality\u201d on several issues, including the war in Yemen and the blockade on Qatar imposed by a Saudi Arabia-led Arab alliance.
Riyadh also appears to be irked by criticism from Islamabad over its lukewarm stance on Pakistan\u2019s longstanding dispute with India over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir, claimed in full by both the South Asian neighbours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Visa restrictions Pakistan says it has made it clear to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that Islamabad cannot recognise Israel until the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11647,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-c59-islamic-world"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/strong>Meanwhile, Pakistan\u2019s foreign ministry spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry, in a statement on Sunday, said Qureshi also raised the issue of visa restrictions on Pakistani nationals in the meeting with his UAE counterpart.
He said Qureshi was assured the visa restrictions were \u201ctemporary\u201d and were imposed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last month, the UAE stopped issuing new visas to citizens of 13 mostly-Muslim countries. The decision took effect on November 18 and included citizens from Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Kenya, Lebanon, Tunisia, Algeria, Turkey, and Iran.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"