Published 18:02 IST, December 20th 2020
Pakistan sends envoy to Israel with 'secret letter' seeking normalisation of ties: Report
Senior Pakistani official recently visited Israel and handed over a "secret letter" from Prime Minister Imran Khan to the head of Mossad spy agency, Yossi Cohen
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Pakistan has reportedly initiated "secret normalisation talks" with Israel, according to Middle East Monitor, which cited a Hebrew news website as its source. According to report, a senior Pakistani official recently visited Israel and handed over a "secret letter" from Prime Minister Imran Khan to he of Moss spy agency, Yossi Cohen. senior Pakistani official is believed to be Sayed Bukhari, an viser to Imran Khan.
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Visits Foreign Affairs office
Bukhari reportedly landed at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on a British Airways flight on November 20 that flew in from Islamab via London. Upon landing, Bukhari was taken straight to Ministry of Foreign Affairs' office in Jerusalem. report claims that Bukhari stayed in Israel for a few days and extended Imran Khan's request to begin talks regarding normalisation of relations between Islamab and Tel Aviv.
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According to report, Khan's request was received positively in Israel. Pakistan is apparently seeking normalisation of ties with Israel for more economic stability to help its relations with neighbour India. Pakistan does not officially recognise Israel because of latter's ongoing conflict with Palestine regarding a two-state solution. Earlier this year, Imran Khan h said that United States is pressuring Pakistan to recognise Israel, accusing Tel Aviv of controlling America's Middle East policy through its strong lobby in Washington.
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United States has been proactively seeking normalisation of relations between Israel and or Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia. Earlier this year, under a US-brokered peace deal, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain normalised ties with Israel as y signed Abraham Accords in Washington on September 15. Later, Sudan and Morocco also agreed to normalise relations with Tel Aviv, providing outgoing Trump ministration with a diplomatic achievement in its last days in White House.
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18:02 IST, December 20th 2020