Pakistan rejects reports of any trade contact with Israel

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday rebutted reports regarding a trade initiative between his country and Israel, saying "all such reports are nothing but a pack of lies."

"There is no truth in such reports widely circulating on social media," Sharif said while addressing the parliamentary party meeting of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz group) in the capital Islamabad.

"Pakistan has (a) very clear policy that unless the Palestinians get their due rights and an independent Palestinian state is established, we cannot even think about it (establishing any ties)," he maintained.

The clarification came days after a statement from the American Jewish Congress, which claimed that a first shipment of Pakistan-origin food products was offloaded in Israel late last month.

The transaction, according to the statement, involved a Pakistani-Jewish Fishel Benkhald, and three businessmen from Jerusalem and Haifa.

Benkhald, 33, who hails from Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi, posted his pictures on his social media account, waving his green Pakistani passport after landing at Tel Aviv airport last week.

The post instantly ignited a storm on social media sites, accusing the government of Sharif of allowing the establishment of trade relations with Tel Aviv.

Benkhald, the son of a Muslim father and Jewish mother, is the first Pakistani citizen of the Jewish faith to officially travel to Israel on religious grounds.

He was registered as a Muslim at birth but got himself registered as a Jew with the National Database Registration Authority in 2016.

"It was an act of an individual, who is a Pakistani Jew. The government has nothing to do with it," Sharif further said.

Condemning the supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan for allegedly launching a "fake news" campaign on social media on the basis of mere speculations, Sharif said Pakistan firmly stands beside Palestinians in their freedom struggle.

Islamabad does not recognize Israel.