Responding to allegations of Pakistan-Israel trade ties, Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif on Monday declared that Islamabad would not have any ties with Israel until Palestine gets a separate homeland.
Overview
Speaking at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party meeting, he reassured that Pakistan would not abandon its position on Palestine and would “stick to its stance until Palestinians get their rights.”
He added that reports of trade ties with Israel are “baseless” and the social media posts merely showed goods traded by an “individual Jew.”
Pakistan has historically supported a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, demanding a free and independent Palestine with pre-1967 borders and East Jerusalem as the capital.
Social Media Post Triggers International Reaction
Sharif’s statement on the Israel-Palestine conflict came in response to a social media post by a Jewish Pakistani businessman, Fishel Bankhald, who celebrated the delivery of his first kosher food shipment from Pakistan to Jerusalem and Haifa.
He shared a video of an Israeli market with dates, dry fruits, and spices.
Congratulation to Me as a Pakistani
— Fishel BenKhald (@Jew_Pakistani) March 28, 2023
I exported first batch of Pakistan 🇵🇰 food products to Israel 🇮🇱 market
Dates, Dry fruit, Spice single container. My video@CMShehbaz @ImranKhanPTI @BBhuttoZardari @NawazSharifMNS @MaryamNSharif @betterpakistan @MiftahIsmail @tdap_official pic.twitter.com/l4KRqI4oet
The American Jewish Congress celebrated the development in a release titled: “American Jewish Congress Statement of Trade Between the State of Israel and Pakistan.” It said the trade ties will have “wider implications for Israeli and Pakistani economies.”
Responding to the video, Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch denied any diplomatic or trade ties with Israel.
Similarly, the Commerce Ministry dismissed the reports as “sheer propaganda” as Islamabad did not intend to establish relations with Israel. It further confirmed that Pakistan’s government did not provide the businessman with any banking channel or official support.
American Jewish Congress Statement on Trade Between the State of #Israel and #Pakistan.
— American Jewish Congress (@AJCongress) March 31, 2023
Link: https://t.co/Bie9NIdrwJ#AmericanJewishCongress #AbrahamAccords #UAE @JackRosenNYC pic.twitter.com/V724PYwwqs
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that former PM Imran Khan’s government had granted permission to travel to Israel.
Sharif Blames Khan for Economic, Foreign Policy Crisis
During Monday’s meeting, Sharif also spoke of the dismal situation of Pakistan’s economy and foreign ties with long-term allies, like China and Saudi Arabia, which he has had to address since taking over the government.
He accused Khan’s government of causing this deterioration by violating agreements with the IMF and Islamabad’s obligations under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Additionally, Sharif condemned the “serious allegations” made against China, regarding purported corruption by Chinese personnel in infrastructure projects. “China has invested $30 billion in the country, yet false accusations were made against the same helper,” the PM added.