Seeking to quell protests from Islamic parties over the first high-level contact with Israel, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday said Islamabad will not recognise the Jewish state until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
After a detailed briefing from Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri about his meeting with his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom two days ago in Istanbul, Musharraf said Pakistan wants to play a positive role in the resolution of the Palestinian dispute.
"Pakistan is today in a position to play this role in view of its growing stature in the international community and in the Islamic world," he said in a statement.
However, Pakistan will not recognise Israel until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, he said, allaying fears expressed by hardliners in the country that the meeting between the two fortegn ministers was a prelude to establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.
Earlier, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Naeem Khan had said Musharraf has no plans to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly summit in New York later in September.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q Shujaat Hussain were also present in the meeting.
Pakistan, Musharraf said, took leaders of the Islamic countries in the Middle East into confidence before the meeting.
He said that the process of engaging with other faiths is in line with the teachings of Islam. The holy prophet kept the
channels of negotiations open with other religions, he added.
"Islam is a religion of peace and it has lived in peace and harmony with other faiths for centuries and can do so in the future as well," Musharraf said.
During the meeting, Kasuri had told Shalom that Pakistan's gesture is a demonstration that the Islamic world will respond positively if Israel is ready to accept the imperatives of peace by respecting the fundamental rights of the Palestinians to live in freedom and peace in their own homeland.