Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has said his government is under pressure to recognize Israel and insisted Islamabad would never establish relations with “Zionists”.
Khan revealed this during an interview with a private television, where he stated that following the recognition of Israel by the Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, Islamabad is also asked to recognize Israel, something that his government has rejected. until now.
“I don’t think twice about recognizing Israel unless there is a fair agreement, which satisfies Palestine,” he said.
When asked to name the countries that have insisted that Islamabad recognize Israel, Khan refrained from pointing precisely and chose to remain silent on the question. “There are things we cannot say. We have good relations with them,” he said.
Khan reiterated that Pakistan’s founding father, Quaid-e-Azad, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, had refused to recognize Israel, adding that “Islamabad will continue to follow in the footsteps of Jinnah with regard to Palestine.”
Khan said Israel has a strong influence in the United States, which he said is “another country that is putting pressure on it to recognize Israel.” “The pressure is due to the profound impact (influence) of Israel in the United States. This influence was indeed extraordinary during the (US President Donald) Trump season,” he said.
The recent recognition of Israel by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain has led to diplomatic economic relations with Tel Aviv, while many other Arab countries are also considering normalizing relations with Israel.
As Pakistan is a country dependent on the external economy, the recognition of Israel and the establishment of economic ties can be a great support for Islamabad. However, Khan has said that Islamabad would regain its economic strength on its own.
Khan said that US President-elect Joe Biden’s approach to the Israel issue should be seen, stating that “Afghanistan is not the real problem, but Israel is.” “You will see how Biden deals with that. If he changes Trump’s policies on Israel or continues with them.”
“I’m not sure about Biden’s policy on Israel, Iran and Kashmir, but I’m sure there will be no change in Washington’s Afghan policy. Democrats also want to withdraw from Afghanistan,” he added.
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