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Pakistan has refused to commit to joining the Abraham Accords, with Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif stating that Islamabad would not support any agreement that conflicts with the country's "fundamental ideologies", reported Pakistani media.
In an interview with Pakistani broadcaster Samaa TV, Asif was asked about the possibility of Pakistan signing onto the Abraham Accords following reported pressure and diplomatic signalling by US President Donald Trump. "Personally, I don't think we should join any such accord that clashes with our fundamental ideologies," Asif said during the interview. Questioning the credibility of engagement with Israel, the Pakistani Defence Minister added, "How will you sit down with those people whose word cannot be trusted even for a single day?" He further reiterated Islamabad's long-standing position on the issue, saying, "We have a very clear stance that this is not acceptable to us." Asif also pointed to 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. Earlier on Monday (local time), US President Donald Trump 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." In a very lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump 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 wrote, warning that failure to reach an agreement could mean "Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before." Trump asserted that Saudi Arabia and Qatar should immediately join the accords after a deal is reached with Iran 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. According to Trump, 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. "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," he added. Trump stated that 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. 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. (ANI)
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