Pakistan: No plans to recognise Israel

Islamabad: Pakistan is not currently considering to recognise Israel and does not have any intentions to have diplomatic ties with it, said Foreign Minister Makhdoum Shah Mahmoud Qureshi.

"Recognition of Israel at this stage is very premature as this is a sensitive issue, which needs very careful consideration and consultation with our friends in the Muslim world," Qureshi told Gulf News in an exclusive interview yesterday.

Talking about ties between Pakistan and the Arab countries, the minister said that the strong relations with Arab countries are the most important part of the foreign policy of Pakistan.

"In order to make our relations to grow further, Pakistan has decided to provide its agriculture land to the Arab countries especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE to meet their food demands," he said.

Qureshi said Pakistan is offering its vast agriculture land to the Arab countries to invest in farming to meet their food requirements. He said the talks with Saudi Arabia and the UAE are being held on this new initiative at different levels.