Pakistan always stood with Palestinians, says Jalil Jilani

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani says Pakistan has always stood with Palestinian brothers and sisters and will continue to do so.

In a tweet, the Foreign Minister said in his statement at UN General Assembly, he renewed Pakistan’s call for an independent State of Palestine, based on pre-67 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

Pakistan have always stood with Palestinian brothers and sisters. And we will continue to do so.

In my statement at UNGA, I renewed Pakistan’s call for an independent State of Palestine,based on pre-67 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as capital.This is in our national interest. https://t.co/ev7nduaAbL

— Jalil Abbas Jilani (@JalilJilani) September 24, 2023

He said this is in our national interest.

Pakistan’s decision to recognise Israel will be determined by its national interests and those of Palestinians, according to Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, who also said he didn’t meet his Israeli counterpart on the sidelines of UN General Assembly session in New York.

Jilani was responding to claims by the Israeli Foreign Minister that six or seven Muslim countries would make peace with the Jewish State if Saudi Arabia-Israel deal goes through.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told Israel’s KAN News on Friday that up to seven more Muslim countries could make peace with Israel if the Jewish State signs a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia.

US President Biden has been pushing for landmark deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman told Fox News recently that his country was in talks with Israel, dismissing reports that process was suspended.

Saudi crown prince says getting ‘closer’ to Israel normalisation

Observers believe that any deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, who for decades had champion the Palestinian cause, would put pressure on other countries including Pakistan to bring a shift in its policy.

Islamabad has in the past resisted pressure though in 2005 Pakistan and Israeli foreign ministers held a landmark meeting in Turkey. But the process couldn’t move forward as there has always been strong opposition to establishing diplomatic ties with Israel without resolution of Palestinian issue.

There have been concerns in Pakistan that recognising the Israeli state without permanent solution to Palestinian conflict would only undermine the country’s case on the longstanding issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

Web Desk