BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:30 P.M.) – The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Shah Mahmoud Qureshi, announced Monday that his country has informed the leadership of the United Arab Emirates of its position on Israel, and stressed that Islamabad will not recognize it until a solution to the Palestinian issue is found.
Shah Qureshi denied that Pakistan had been under pressure to recognize Israel, despite some media reports.
About his meeting with Emirati officials, he said, “I informed them of our policy regarding Israel and Palestine,” stressing Islamabad’s refusal to establish relations with Israel as long as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not settled.
Pakistan has been reportedly under pressure to normalize relations with Israel after four Arab states, including Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, agreed to do so under U.S. auspices.
Source: International News of Pakistan