ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Foreign Office said on Thursday there was no change in the country’s position that it did not recognize Israel, adding that officials were gathering information on an alleged visit to Israel by a local delegation of journalists and influencers.
A media report by the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom said on Wednesday a 10-member Pakistani delegation of journalists, intellectuals and influencers had visited Israel for a week.
Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel, and its passport explicitly states that it cannot be used for travel to the country. Islamabad has repeatedly called for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
“As far as Pakistan’s position is concerned, it’s very unambiguous,” Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters at a weekly media briefing in Islamabad.
“There is no question of a change in Pakistan’s position on the question of recognition of Israel or on the question of Palestine or Israel or on the question of Palestine or the Arab-Israel problems.”
Responding to a question on the reported visit of the Pakistani delegation, the spokesperson said the trip had nothing to do with the foreign ministry or government.
“We are gathering information and when we have a clearer picture, we will be able to comment on that,” he added.
“We don’t know who was there [Israel] and what kind of passport they were carrying, maybe they were dual nationalities.”
The Hayom newspaper report said the ten Pakistani journalists and researchers, including two women, arrived in Israel last Monday and carried passports declaring their invalidity for travel to Israel.
“Despite this, they bravely accepted an invitation from Sharaka, an organization working to strengthen relations between Israel and South Asian countries,” the report said.
“To protect the delegation members, their passports were not stamped, and publication of their visit was delayed until they returned safely home.”
RESUMPTION OF GAZA WAR
Commenting on Israel resuming its bombing campaign and ground operations in Gaza, the FO spokesman said Pakistan “unequivocally condemned” the assault in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, calling it a “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement [signed in January].”
Tuesday’s first day of resumed airstrikes killed more than 400 Palestinians, one of the deadliest days of the war. At least 510 Palestinians have been killed in the past three days, more than half of them women and children, Khalil Al-Deqran, the spokesperson of Gaza’s health ministry told Reuters.
The surprise bombardment has threatened to fully reignite the 17-month-old war, with Israeli officials saying the operation was expected to expand.
“Israel’s airstrikes and raids are a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement; international humanitarian law; the UN Charter, and hampers the confidence and faith in the global community and international law,” Khan added.
“We also call on the international community to increase its efforts to end Israel’s genocidal campaign against the innocent people of Palestine. We call for accountability of Israeli crimes committed in this brutal war, as a crucial step toward restoring international legitimacy.”
