Islamabad: Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that Islamabad would not support any agreement that conflicts with the country’s “fundamental ideologies”, while refusing any commitment to join the Abraham Accords.
Asif was asked about the possibility of Pakistan signing onto the Abraham Accords following reported pressure and diplomatic signalling by US President Donald Trump during an interview with Pakistani broadcaster Samaa TV,
“Personally, I don’t think we should join any such accord that clashes with our fundamental ideologies,” Asif said during the interview.
He questioned the credibility of engagement with Israel, and added: “How will you sit down with those people whose word cannot be trusted even for a single day? We have a very clear stance that this is not acceptable to us.”
Asif went on to describe Pakistan’s passport policy regarding Israel, underscoring the country’s refusal to recognise the Jewish state (Israel).
“And secondly, on our passports, we are the only country whose passports don’t even include Israel’s name,” he said, as reported by News18.
US president Donald Trump had, on Monday, pushed for several Muslim and Arab nations to join the Abraham Accords as part of a broader regional settlement tied to the potential deal with Tehran, while noting that the negotiations with the Islamic Republic were “proceeding nicely
He said the proposed arrangement could become a “Historic Event” for the Middle East and called on countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain to simultaneously sign onto the Abraham Accords.
“Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely! It will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all,” Trump posted, warning that failure to reach an agreement could mean “Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before.”
Saudi Arabia and Qatar should immediately join the accords after a deal is reached with Iran, Trump insisted and said other countries should follow. He further suggested that Iran itself could eventually become part of the framework if a deal with the United States is successfully concluded. The Abraham Accords had delivered a “Financial, Economic, and Social BOOM” to existing members, which he listed as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and Kazakhstan, he claimed.
“The Abraham Accords have been great for them, and will be even better for everybody, and bring true Power, Strength, and Peace to the Middle East,” he stated in his post.
“In speaking to numerous of the Great Leaders mentioned above, they would be honored, as soon as our Document is signed, to have the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of the Abraham Accords,” Trump added.
The matter followed his discussion with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, among others, the US president said..
Calling it potentially “the most important Deal” in the region’s history, Trump said he had instructed his representatives to begin the process of expanding the Abraham Accords to additional nations. The Abraham Accords are landmark US-mediated agreements signed in 2020 that led to the normalisation of diplomatic, economic and security ties between Israel and multiple Arab countries.
