Recognizing Israel is Not Acceptable to Us: Khawaja Asif

Pakistan has rejected the idea of joining the Abraham Accords amid renewed diplomatic pressure from the United States and will retain its long-standing position of not recognizing Israel.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif recently said that Pakistan would not support any agreement that involves normalization with Israel.

His remarks came during an interaction with the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, where foreign policy and economic implications of external diplomatic pressure were also discussed.

The minister noted that Pakistan’s policy on Israel remains unchanged and is based on the principle of recognition only after the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

He mentioned that Pakistan’s passport already bans travel to Israel.

The discussion comes as the United States pushes for wider participation in the Abraham Accords framework, which has already normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states.

Pakistan has not been part of the accords since their inception in 2020, and continues to maintain a position aligned with OIC and UN-backed calls for a two-state solution.

Economic and diplomatic officials said Pakistan’s stance remains cautious as it balances external diplomatic pressure with domestic political and public sentiment.