Imran Khan says he is under pressure to recognize ‘Israel’

Karachi (QNN)- Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, said he has been under pressure to recognize the occupation state, however, his country will never recognize the “Zionist” state until reaching a “just” settlement of the decades-long Palestinian issue.

In an interview with a local broadcaster aired on Thursday night, Imran Khan, nonetheless, refused to name the countries that have been pressuring him to recognize ‘Israel’.

“Are they non-Muslim or Muslim countries that have been putting pressure on you?” the anchorperson asked in an attempt to get a clear answer.

“Leave this [question]. There are things we cannot say. We have good relations with them (countries),” Khan said.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have recently normalized tied with the occupation state. Saudi Arabia also has been edging closer to normalizing relations with the occupation state.

“Let us stand on our own feet in terms of economy, then you may ask these questions,” the prime minister said, referring to Islamabad’s longtime economic dependence on some friendly countries.

He, however, made it clear that he has no “second thought” about recognizing Israel. “I have no second thought to recognize Israel unless there is a just settlement, which satisfies Palestinians,” he went on to say, adding that Islamabad would continue to follow in Jinnah’s footsteps vis-a-vis Palestine.

Khan also said that ‘Israel’ has had a deep influence in the US, which is another country pressurizing him to recognize ‘Israel’.

“The pressure is because of Israel’s deep impact (influence) in the US. This (influence) was in fact extraordinary during the Trump’s stint,” he maintained.