E-Paper
Pak in talks to recognise Israel, says report
Pakistan is engaged in secret talks with Israel and might even be considering recognising the Jewish state, a media report said on Friday, prompting a strong rebuttal from the government which said there was "not an iota of truth" in the claim.
Pakistan is engaged in secret talks with Israel and might even be considering recognising the Jewish state, a media report said on Friday, prompting a strong rebuttal from the government which said there was "not an iota of truth" in the claim.
Quoting top-level diplomatic sources, the Nation said that Pakistan is said to have opened its "camp office" in Tel Aviv, and is engaged in covert talks to find out possibilities to establish direct links.
The paper said Pakistan might even following in Turkey's footsteps to recognise Israel in the near future.
Reacting to the report the Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said in a statement: "There was no change in Pakistan's policy (on Israel), nor is any change under consideration".
Such reports "based on mere speculation and hearsay" are "irresponsible, to put it mildly," he said.
The paper said a prominent politician who is also the chief of a religious party, has played a vital role in the talks.
