MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi today (Monday) has said he had presented Pakistan’s stance on Israel to the UAE foreign minister, stating that Pakistan will not recognise Israel until concrete and permanent solution is found to the Palestine issue.
He expressed his views while talking to journalists after processions for the Urs of Hazrat Shah Rukn-i-Alam just a day after his visit to the UAE where he held high-level talks with the Emirati leadership.
“During the visit, I heard and understood why the UAE took the steps it did to recognise Israel but presented Pakistan’s stance on the issue very clearly,” he said, adding, “Pakistan in any situation cannot establish relations with Israel until a concrete and permanent solution is found to the problem of Palestine.”
According to the foreign minister, he explained to his UAE counterpart the depth of emotions the Pakistanis had on the issues of Palestine and Kashmir. “UAE FM completely understood these feelings of the Pakistani nation,” he added.
In response to a question on whether there was any pressure on Pakistan, FM Qureshi said, “The prime minister has said this, I have clarified it and the Foreign Office (FO) has given a statement on this, there is no pressure by anyone on us.”
“We have to make decisions keeping in mind Pakistan’s interests in front of us and not due to any pressure. We have a policy and we are still steadfast on it,” the foreign minister added.
He also clarified that neither the UAE nor Saudi Arabia had any intention of making India a replacement for Pakistan. “It was India’s misunderstanding if it wished to make efforts towards that end,” he added.
Qureshi asserted that he was reassured that the visa issue is a temporary one and will soon be cleared away. “A number of other issues concerning bilateral relations and how they could be further strengthened were discussed,” he remarked.
