- Ministry says there is no mention of official trade between two countries in AJC release
- FO spokespersons declares there is no change in Pakistan’s policy about Jewish state
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Foreign Office and Ministry of Trade and Commerce on Sunday outrightly rejected reports of any trade links with Israel, saying Islamabad has no diplomatic and trade relations with Israel and termed such reports “sheer propaganda.”
The response from Islamabad came days after the American Jewish Congress (AJC), an association of American Jews organised to defend Jewish interests abroad, announced that the first shipment of food products from Pakistan was offloaded in Israel.
The Foreign Office spokesperson reacting to the reports of sale of Pakistani commodities in the Israeli markets said there is no change in Pakistan’s policy about the Jewish state.
American Jewish Congress Statement on Trade Between the State of #Israel and #Pakistan.
Link: https://t.co/Bie9NIdrwJ#AmericanJewishCongress #AbrahamAccords #UAE @JackRosenNYC pic.twitter.com/V724PYwwqs
— American Jewish Congress (@AJCongress) March 31, 2023
The trade transaction involved a Pakistani-Jewish businessman, Fishel BenKhald, and three Israeli businesspeople. BenKhald runs a Jewish kosher certification business in Karachi, exporting products to destinations worldwide.
The rare bilateral trade included dates, dry fruit and spices and was disclosed via Twitter. A video clip posted by BenKhald on his Twitter account has gained over two million views.
Congratulation to Me as a Pakistani
I exported first batch of Pakistan 🇵🇰 food products to Israel 🇮🇱 market
Dates, Dry fruit, Spice single container. My video@CMShehbaz @ImranKhanPTI @BBhuttoZardari @NawazSharifMNS @MaryamNSharif @betterpakistan @MiftahIsmail @tdap_official pic.twitter.com/l4KRqI4oet
— Fishel BenKhald (@Jew_Pakistani) March 28, 2023
However, the ministry dismissed the AJC release, saying that it was misrepresented, and that even in its press release, there was no mention of official trade between Pakistan and Israel.
A spokesman added that Pakistan did not have any trade relations with Israel and did not intend to develop any. The ministry also noted that there was no involvement of any banking or official channel in the matter.
The spokesman emphasized Pakistan’s trade policy with countries, citing the Import Policy Order 2022, which prohibits trade with various economies. The spokesman stated that Pakistan is committed to the issue of the origin and that any potential trade with Israel is not supported by the government.
Separately, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told Geo News the country has no diplomatic or trade relations with Israel. Baloch emphasized that there has been no change in Pakistan’s policy towards Israel.
Pakistan is a staunch supporter of demands for an independent Palestinian state and has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
‘No one permitted to engage in any trade activities with Israel’
Separately, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told Independent Urdu that the incumbent government did not permit anyone to engage in any trade activities with Israel.
“We will conduct an investigation into this,” he said. “Now we are receiving information that in the previous regime, Imran Khan had given similar permission to someone but nothing of this sort has come up to our notice, information, or inquiry right now.”
اسرائیل سے کسی کو تجارت کی اجازت نہیں دی: وفاقی وزیر داخلہ
مزید تفصیلات: https://t.co/dK8irr1O8i pic.twitter.com/Pfto60uq5m— Independent Urdu (@indyurdu) April 2, 2023
Another member of the current cabinet, Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Interfaith Harmony and the Middle East Tahir Ashrafi — who was also a part of the Imran Khan government — told state media that Benkhald was permitted to go to Israel by the PTI government.
Talking to APP, he said the Pakistani-Jewish businessman exported some goods including dates, dry fruit, and spices to an Arab friendly country and later on, managed to dispatch them to Israel.
Dispelling the impression that trade ties were being established between Pakistan and Israel, he was quoted as saying: “As per reports, neither the Ministry of Commerce, nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs furnished Fishel any no-objection certificate (NOC).”
— TahirMahmoodAshrafi حافظ محمد طاهراشرفى (@TahirAshrafi) April 1, 2023
It may be noted that controversy over Pakistan’s ties with Israel had been stirred last year over a reported visit of a “Pakistani delegation” to Israel.
The FO spokesperson in a statement had clarified that the “reported visit in question was organised by a foreign NGO which is not based in Pakistan” and that Pakistan’s position on the Palestinian issue was clear and unambiguous.
“There is no change whatsoever in our policy on which there is a complete national consensus. Pakistan steadfastly supports the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination,” the spokesperson had remarked.
