Pakistan’s President Says No Ties With Israel

Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi says the country will not be establishing ties with Israel and that it supports the Palestinians because the Gaza Strip has also faced “unprecedented atrocities” like Kashmir.

Alvi, before departing to Ankara on a three-day visit Sunday, told reporters that all speculation about the landing of an Israeli jet at an Islamabad airport was baseless. Since he assumed office last month, this is Alvi’s first foreign visit following an invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Israeli journalist Avi Scharf tweeted on Thursday that a private Israeli business jet had flown to Islamabad from Tel Aviv and remained in the Pakistani capital for nearly 10 hours, fueling media speculation. Several Pakistani ministers and the Civil Aviation Authority denied the report.