Friday, 21 August 2020_In an address to an extraordinary annual session of Pakistan’s both Houses of the Parliament, Pakistan's President Arif Alvi said his country will not accept Israel until Palestinians are granted their rights.
He also praised Prime Minister Imran Khan for “taking a clear position on the issue”. Earlier, Prime Minister Khan said, Pakistan's stance about Israel is very clear, adding Islamabad cannot recognize Israel until Palestinians get their right, which should be in line with the two-state solution.
The US-brokered deal between the United Arab Emirates and Israel to normalize ties sparked nation-wide condemnations in Pakistan.
Pakistani president then referred to the Kashmir dispute accusing India of violating all mutual agreements with his country over the region.
The bilateral ties between Pakistan and India have been tense since August last year when New Delhi annexed the disputed Kashmir region into its federal union in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions which call for plebiscite. The disputed Kashmir region is divide among Pakistan, China and India.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a recent interview, has made it clear that “Pakistan’s future lies with China" given his country’s very close geo-strategic and economic ties with Beijing. His remarks came after China captured large parts of disputed Kashmir region in weeks- long skirmishes with India.
China has been fully backing Pakistan against India over Kashmir dispute. However, Islamabad has shown its concerns over lack of similar support from its Arab allies particularly Saudi Arabia.
Since last August, rights activists say human rights abuses have raised significantly with large-scale security clampdown, a situation Islamabad points out is similar to what Israel has been doing with Palestinians in their illegally-occupied land. Therefore, Pakistan says, it cannot recognize Israel following a recent controversy after the UAE normalized its ties with Israel which rights activists call, an apartheid State.
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