FO rejects notion of any Pakistani delegation visiting Israel, says position on Palestine clear

Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Asim Iftikhar on Thursday categorically rejected the notion of any delegation from Pakistan visiting Israel.

Responding to media queries, he said Pakistan’s position on the Palestinian issue was "clear and unambiguous."

He said the visit in question was organised by a "foreign NGO which was not based in Pakistan."

"There is no change whatsoever in our policy on which there is a complete national consensus," he emphasised.

Iftikhar said that Pakistan steadfastly supports the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination.

“The establishment of an independent, viable, and contiguous Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, in accordance with the relevant UN and OIC resolutions, is imperative for just and lasting peace in the region,” he added.

The development comes days after a delegation of Pakistanis, including a former government minister, met Israeli Foreign Ministry officials in Jerusalem.

"Yes, I am in Jerusalem with a delegation to promote interfaith harmony," Nasim Ashraf, who served as Pakistan's development minister and the chairman of the Pakistani Cricket Board, told Associated Press.