Pak stance on Israel unchanged: FO

Islamabad, Dec 13: Pakistan has rejected insinuations that support for an Israeli resolution in the UN General Assembly was a reflection of its policy shift on the Jewish state.

"Voting for the resolution has no impact on Pakistan"s traditional stance on Israel, and Pakistan"s position remains as before," Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq said. Responding to different questions about Pakistan"s support for Israeli resolution, he said it was not Israeli resolution as 74 countries including Turkey, Albania and Bangladesh co-sponsored it.

"It was a technical and not political resolution aiming at technology transfer in agriculture sector and 118 countries voted in its favour, 29 abstained but none opposed it," he said.

Sadiq also clarified that in the past Pakistan and Israel had jointly supported numerous UN resolutions and took part in the UN committees.

"Israel supported every Pakistani resolution calling for withdrawal of Soviet Union troops from Afghanistan in the past," he said, adding that supporting a resolution had nothing to do with diplomatic relations.

Earlier, Pakistan had surprised other Muslim nations by voting for a resolution sponsored by Israel in a committee of the UN General Assembly. Most Muslim countries abstained from voting.

Although the resolution sponsored by Israel and European nations related to "agricultural technology for development".

Most Arab envoys said that until the issue of occupied territories was resolved, they couldn"t support any Israeli-sponsored resolution.

The resolution was adopted with 118 in favour and 29 abstentions, the Daily Times reported. (ANI)>