ISLAMABAD: Two top officials in Pakistan on Wednesday categorically denied media reports that Pakistani officials had visited Israel or held meetings in the Jewish state, separately terming the reports “absolutely wrong” and “ridiculous.”
The Israel Hayom and other Israeli media outlets reported this week in a veiled reference to Pakistan that a senior adviser to the leader of a large Muslim majority country in Asia that had no diplomatic ties with Israel had visited the Jewish state two weeks ago with a delegation of senior officials to discuss the potential normalization of relations.
Pakistan currently does not recognize the state of Israel over its thwarting of Palestinians’ aspirations for a state of their own. Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the Sinai peninsula and the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future free state, a demand Pakistan has supported for decades.
“It is an absolutely wrong news,” Tahir Ashrafi, a special adviser on religious harmony and the Middle East, told Arab News when asked to confirm the media reports. “It is an attempt to create chaos, instability in Pakistan and malign us in the Muslim world.”
Ashrafi said Pakistan’s stance regarding establishing relations with Israel was very clear, adding that Islamabad would not recognize Israel until a just solution to the Palestine conflict was found.
“It is the clear stance of Prime Minister Imran Khan and his cabinet. The state of Pakistan including our people, armed forces, institutions and government, are on the same page regarding this issue,” Ashrafi added.
Special assistant to the prime minister for overseas Pakistanis, Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, called the media reports “ridiculous.”
“It is ridiculous and a pathetic attempt [to malign Pakistan],” Bukhari told Arab News, adding that those spreading these “lies and fairy tales [were] putting lives in danger.”
Pakistani top officials deny reports of visit, meetings in Israel
https://arab.news/m5syv
Pakistani top officials deny reports of visit, meetings in Israel
- Top PM advisers Tahir Ashrafi and Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari say the reports are “absolutely wrong,” “ridiculous”
- Israeli media reported officials from major Muslim country in Asia with no diplomatic ties with Israel visited the Jewish state two weeks ago
Pakistan casts uncertainty over T20 World Cup participation after Bangladesh row
- Pakistan Cricket Board chief criticizes ICC’s ‘double standards’ for replacing Bangladesh with Scotland in T20 World Cup
- PCB boss Mohsin Naqvi says board will take final decision on World Cup participation after Pakistan PM returns from UK
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi this week threw the national cricket team’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 into doubt by saying he would seek the government’s directives on it, after the International Cricket Council (ICC) replaced Bangladesh in the tournament.
Naqvi was speaking to reporters in Lahore on Saturday shortly after the ICC announced it had replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the T20 World Cup. The decision stemmed from Bangladesh’s refusal to play in India owing to security fears. Bangladesh had requested a venue outside India for their World Cup matches.
The demand was made owing to fresh tensions between Bangladesh and India’s cricket boards. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) told Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this month to drop Bangladesh’s cricketer Mustafizur Rahman due to political tensions between Dhaka and New Delhi.
Naqvi criticized the ICC for its “double standards” when it came to Bangladesh, pointing out that India and Pakistan were allowed to play against each other at neutral venues as per an earlier deal between both cricket boards and the ICC. He said Bangladesh should be allowed to play in the World Cup.
“If the government of Pakistan says we mustn’t play, then maybe the ICC will bring in a 22nd team (after Scotland),” Naqvi told reporters. “But this decision has to be taken by the government of Pakistan.”
Naqvi said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is in the United Kingdom, adding that a final decision on the matter will be taken then.
“We obey the government of Pakistan, not the ICC,” the PCB chairman said.
Pakistan play all their T20 World Cup matches in Sri Lanka, which are the co-hosts of the tournament. The T20 World Cup 2026 begins next month in India and Sri Lanka.
The Green Shirts play their first match of the tournament against Netherlands on Feb. 7. They are scheduled to play defending champions India on Feb. 15 in Colombo in their group stage clash.
