'Disappointed': NSA Moeed Yusuf rejects report claiming he met Israeli officials

ISLAMABAD: National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf Monday rejected the claim made by a political leader that he secretly met Israeli officials.

NSA Moeed Yusuf’s clarification came after the Foreign Office denied an Israeli media report that senior PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari had visited Tel Aviv last November and met the Mossad chief.

“Very disappointed to be informed that the leader of a major political party has insinuated that I had secretly met Israeli officials. Let me state categorically and on record that I have not had any meetings with any Israeli officials nor have I visited Israel,” Yusuf responded to the report.

The prime minister, the NSA said, has been very clear on his stance that Pakistan shall continue to stand for Palestinians’ right to a just two-state solution.

Zulfi Bukhari rejects Israeli report

SAPM Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari denied that he had secretly visited Israel for meetings with senior government officials, following a report in Israel Hayom daily that a Pakistani envoy had visited Tel Aviv last November.

"DIDNOT go to Israel. Funny bit is Pakistani paper says I went to Israel based on "Israeli news source" & Israeli paper says I went to Israel based on a “Pakistani source”-wonder who this imaginative Pakistani source is. Apparently, I’m the only one who was kept out of the loop," Zulfi Bukhari tweeted.

According to the Israel Hayom report, Zulfi Bukhari flew to Israel from Islamabad via London.

He was said to have met with foreign ministry officials as well as Mossad Director Yossi Cohen in Tel Aviv in order to pass on messages from top Pakistani leadership.

According to the report, based "on a source in Islamabad", the visit came following “heavy pressure” from the United Arab Emirates.

Bilawal Bhutto demands probe

Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari demanded an investigation into the issue who was aboard airplane to Israel.

“Investigation should be made why an airplane in November went to Israel from Pakistan and stayed there for 10 hours. We are demanding if this airplane took off from another country, it should also be investigated,” he said this while responding to a question about Imran Khan’s close friend visiting Israel in a press talk with the media.

Bilawal said the news outlets of Israel after getting censored from Israel’s defence department, this information should come before the nation now as we have concerns regarding what is done in the darkness of the night.

“The government should bring the details and manifest of the flight and if the flight route which was mentioned and if an airplane did not pick up Zulfi Bukhari then who did it pick up,” he added.