The Foreign Office (FO) stated that it had no knowledge of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Coordinator on Tourism, Sardar Yasir Ilyas, reportedly engaging with an Israeli tourism official during an event in London.
Questions were raised after a video went viral online showing Ilyas greeting and speaking with Michael Izhar-Kov, identified as the Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Tourism. The exchange took place at the World Travel Market held in London from November 4 to 6, 2025.
The clip prompted commentary on social media, including a post by Israeli journalist Rai Kais, who claimed the interaction was noteworthy in light of recent speculation that Pakistan might join the multinational force planned for Gaza.
However, UK-based journalist Murtaza Ali Shah offered a different account, saying on X that a group of Israeli attendees visited the Pakistan Pavilion without prior notice and interacted with Pakistani officials without identifying themselves.
During the FO’s weekly media briefing, spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi was asked about the incident. He responded by saying, “I have no information regarding this meeting. The individual mentioned is a public figure, and the matter should be clarified with him directly.”
Pressed further, Andrabi added that he had not seen any report confirming a meeting between a Pakistani government representative and an Israeli official. “If such an interaction occurred, it was certainly not authorized by the Government of Pakistan,” he stressed.
When questioned about earlier reports of Pakistani citizens or delegations allegedly travelling to Israel, the spokesperson reiterated that such visits were neither sanctioned nor communicated to the Foreign Office. He said that any Pakistani who travelled to a country prohibited on the passport could face legal consequences. “Interactions with Israel are not authorized,” he reaffirmed.
The video also sparked strong political and public reactions. Former Jamaat-i-Islami senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan condemned the handshake, calling it a betrayal of the Palestinian cause. He criticized both the meeting and the presence of an Israeli official at the Pakistani pavilion, saying the nation would not forgive such actions.
Writer Fatima Bhutto also denounced the exchange, describing it as “disgusting treason,” while PTI leader and former human rights minister Shireen Mazari questioned the circumstances under which the interaction took place.
Pakistan’s Position on ISF
The FO spokesperson also commented on Pakistan’s possible role in the International Stabilization Force (ISF). Defense Minister Khawaja Asif previously stated that the decision on deploying Pakistani troops was still under consideration.
Andrabi clarified on Friday that no final decision had been made. He noted that the ISF’s mandate was still under discussion at the UN Security Council, and Pakistan, as a non-permanent member of the council, was participating in related negotiations. Any decision on joining the force, he said, would be made at the highest levels of government, with Parliament also involved in the process.
Pakistan’s Stance on Israel
The spokesperson also referenced recent diplomatic developments, including a joint statement issued by Pakistan and 14 other countries condemning Israel’s legislative moves aimed at annexing the occupied West Bank.
He further rejected circulating claims that Pakistan had removed the long-standing passport clause that bars travel to Israel. The FO maintained that Pakistan still does not recognise the State of Israel and continues to uphold its policy of supporting Palestinian rights, including the creation of an independent state based on the 1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
