Islamabad: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Monday that an anchor of the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV), who was part of a delegation of Pakistani-Americans visiting Israel earlier this month, has been terminated.
“The PTV anchor has been terminated and taken off air. He went on the tour in a personal capacity,” she was quoted as saying by Pakistan Television.
Aurangzeb was also quoted as saying that there was no change in Pakistan’s policy with regards to Israel. “Pakistan’s policy on Palestine is clear and based on the statements of our founder Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah,” she said.
She went on to say that a policy which was in contradiction with the people’s wishes and aspirations could not be implemented. The minister said that Pakistan was committed to its traditional and principled position on the Palestinian issue and Israel.
The Foreign Office (FO) has already made it clear that no delegation from the country visited Israel, she stated, adding that Pakistan supported the Palestinians’ right to a referendum in accordance with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
She said that the world saw the two-state solution as a guarantee for lasting peace in the region. The minister said that the promise of a Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders and with Jerusalem as its capital should be fulfilled.
“Occupied Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir are the longest-running issues on the UNSC agenda,” she said, adding that it was the international community’s responsibility to resolve the issues.
Lasting peace in the world will remain a dream until both of these issues are resolved, she said. “We will continue to do our utmost to support the just struggle of the people of occupied Palestine and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu Kashmir,” she added.
She said that those taking “negative steps for cheap political publicity” should at least keep national interest in mind.
Although the minister did not name the anchor that had been fired, journalist Ahmed Quraishi was a part of a delegation that recently visited Israel. Quraishi also works for the state broadcaster.