ISLAMABAD: The State of Palestine has thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for his “strong response” on Israel and expressed gratitude to Pakistan for extending support to the Palestinian cause.
A statement issued by the Palestine Embassy in Islamabad today appreciated PM Imran’s response to condemn Israeli aggression towards Palestine.
“Palestinians consider Pakistan as our second homeland and Pakistanis as our dearest brothers, who always supported Palestine on every forum of the world,” the statement read. The Palestine embassy noted that the Pakistani government had always supported their cause.
“It is only because of the love of Pakistanis towards Palestine that Israeli and Pakistani relations have never been established”, it added.
“The embassy thanks the prime minister for such a strong response and also appreciates every individual of Pakistan, including political parties, media, and civil society, who are observing solidarity with Palestine in any possible way.
“We are hopeful that this support will be with us until we get an independent State of Palestine with Jerusalem Al-Quds as it’s capital,” the statement concluded.
The press statement comes a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan categorically said that Pakistan could not recognize Israel as a state unless it gave freedom to Palestine.
In a two-hour late-night interview aired on Dunya TV, the prime minister stated: “Quaid-i-Azam had said in 1948 that Pakistan could not recognize Israel unless it gave freedom to Palestinians.
“If we recognize Israel and ignore [the] tyranny faced by Palestinians, we will have to give up [the cause of] Kashmir as well, and this we cannot do.”
"اسرائیل کے بارے میں ہمارا موقف واضح ہے۔ قائداعظم نے کہا تھا کہ جب تک فلسطینیوں کو اُنکے بنیادی حقوق اور علیحدہ ریاست نہیں ملتی، تب تک پاکستان اسرائیل کو تسلیم نہیں کرسکتا۔"
وزیراعظم عمران خان#PMImranKhanonDunyaNews pic.twitter.com/GPBAFd3j74
— Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) August 18, 2020
