LAHORE: Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi has said Pakistan is not recognising Israel and Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will only accept solutions to Palestine and Kashmir issues which were accepted by Palestinians and Kashmiris.

Addressing a press conference, Ashrafi said that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state was near. He also announced that leaders of all religions and religious sects had been invited to the Sirat Rahmatul-ul-Alameen Conference, which has been scheduled to be held in Lahore on October 2.

He underscored that inter-religious and interfaith tolerance and harmony was the need of the hour. “Pakistan’s position on the issue of Palestine and Kashmir is very clear and explicit and baseless rumors should be avoided in this regard. The OIC and especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have clarified their position on the Kashmir issue during a recent meeting at the United Nations General Assembly. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are natural allies and it is not possible that a solution to Kashmir and Palestine issues should be accepted without the consent of their people,” he added. Ashrafi also pointed out that peace efforts by Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman also aimed at peaceful solutions to Kashmir and Palestine issues. “Saudi Arabia is not putting any pressure on Pakistan on the issue of Israel,” he added. He said that forces hostile to Islam and Pakistan had made an evil plan to sabotage the atmosphere of interfaith harmony on Pakistani soil, which had been foiled.

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