National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr. Moeed Yusuf has categorically rejected a political leader’s claim that he secretly met Israeli officials.
Moeed Yusuf’s clarification came a day after the Foreign Office denied Israeli media reports that senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, visited Aviv last November and to meet the Mossad chief.
“Very disappointed to be informed that the leader of a major political party has insinuated that I had secretly met Israeli officials. Let me state categorically and on record that I have not had any meetings with any Israeli officials nor have I visited Israel,” Yusuf responded to the report.
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The NSA said that the premier has been very clear on his stance that Pakistan shall continue to stand for Palestinians’ right to a just two-state solution.
On the other hand, SAPM Zulfi Bukhari has also denied the allegations that he secretly visited Israel for meetings with senior government officials, following a report in Israel Hayom daily that a Pakistani envoy had visited Tel Aviv last November.
“DID NOT go to Israel. The funny bit is Pakistani paper says I went to Israel based on an ‘Israeli news source’ and the Israeli paper says I went to Israel based on a ‘Pakistani source’ – wonder who this imaginative Pakistani source is. Apparently, I’m the only one who was kept out of the loop,” Zulfi Bukhari tweeted.
The Israeli newspaper reported citing a ‘source in Islamabad’ that Zulfi Bukhari flew to Tel Aviv from Islamabad via London. The paper claimed that the SAPM held meetings with officials of the foreign ministry as well as Mossad Director, Yossi Cohen, in Tel Aviv to pass on messages from top Pakistani leadership.
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The report claimed that the visit came under immense pressure from the United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, demanded an investigation into the issue as to who boarded the airplane to Israel.
“Investigation should be made why an airplane in November went to Israel from Pakistan and stayed there for 10 hours. We are demanding if this airplane took off from another country, it should also be investigated,” he said this while responding to a question about Imran Khan’s close friend visiting Israel in a media talk.