No change in Pak stance on Israel’s recognition: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reiterated that there could be no recognition of Israel until a just settlement of Palestine dispute, rubbishing the speculations on the issue.

“Let me reiterate that there is no change in Pakistan’s principled position on the issue.

The recognition of Israel is not under consideration,” Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry said in a weekly press briefing Thursday.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan had already made it clear that unless a just settlement of the Palestine issue, satisfactory to the Palestinian people, was found, Pakistan could not recognise Israel.

He said for just and lasting peace, it was imperative to have a two-state solution in accordance with the relevant United Nations and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) resolutions, with the pre-1967 borders, and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian state.

As regards the prime minister’s support to a peaceful, stable, united, democratic, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan and called on all sides for taking necessary steps for reduction in violence. At a virtually held 2020 Afghanistan Conference, co-hosted by Finland, Afghanistan and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the spokesperson said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi highlighted Pakistan’s positive economic trajectory.

He also mentioned the inaugural meeting of the Saarc planning ministers hosted by Pakistan preceded by the planning secretaries meeting as reaffirmation of country’s commitment to the Saarc process.

He told media that the foreign minister was on a visit to Niger to attend 47th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the OIC scheduled in Niamey on November 27-28. The CFM would discuss a wide range of issues confronting the Muslim world, with particular focus on combating Islamophobia and defamation of the religions, Palestine, Jammu & Kashmir dispute, and the situation of Muslim communities and minorities in non-OIC states.

The foreign minister would highlight aggravating human rights and humanitarian situation in the Indian Illegal Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK), rising incidents of Islamophobia and hate speech against the Muslims, he added.

Regarding the prevailing human rights situation in IIOJK and the inhuman military siege for the last 479 days, he said the occupation forces had martyred 14 Kashmiris in staged encounters under the garb of so-called cordon and search operations.

During the last one year, the Indian occupation forces had extra-judicially killed more than 300 innocent Kashmiris, including women and children, in fake encounters in complete violation of the fundamental precepts of international humanitarian law.

Quoting a recent DW report, he said India shut down internet more than any other country.

Referring to foreign minister’s state sponsorship of terrorism in the country, the spokesperson said it highlighted India’s desperate attempts to malign Pakistan and to divert international attention from its state-terrorism in IIOJK and its state-sponsorship of terrorism against Pakistan.

The Indian side would be well advised to drop its act of victimhood, eschew the use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy, he remarked.

Concerning the ongoing unprovoked ceasefire violations by India, he said during the current year alone, India had committed more than 2,840 ceasefire violations to date, martyring 27 innocent civilians and injuring 245 others.