Pakistan Rejects Signing Abraham Accords After Trump’s Directive
Islamabad: According to Pakistani media reports, Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif stated that Islamabad would not support any agreement that contradicts the country’s “core ideologies”, while Pakistan rejected its commitment to join the Abraham Accords.
In an interview with Pakistani broadcaster Samaa TV, Asif was asked about the possibility of Pakistan joining the Abraham Accords following diplomatic pressure and signaling from US President Donald Trump.
“Personally, I think we should not participate in such an agreement that conflicts with our core ideologies,” Asif said during the interview.
Questioning the credibility of engagement with Israel, Pakistan’s Defense Minister added: “How will you sit down with these people whose words cannot be trusted for even a day?”
He reiterated Islamabad’s long-standing position on the issue and said: “We have a very clear stance that this is unacceptable to us.”
Asif also touched upon Pakistan’s passport policy towards Israel, emphasizing that the country refuses to recognize the Jewish state.
“Secondly, we are the only country that does not even mention Israel in our passports,” he said.
Earlier on Monday (local time), US President Donald Trump called on many Muslim and Arab countries to join the Abraham Accords as part of a broader regional solution tied to a possible deal with Iran.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said negotiations with Iran were “progressing well” and called the potential deal a “Historic Event” for the Middle East.
Trump called on countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain to join the Abraham Accords.
“Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are progressing well! This will just be a Big Deal for all or no Deal at all,” Trump wrote, warning that failure to reach a deal could mean “back to the Battle Front and shooting but bigger and stronger than ever.”
He said Saudi Arabia and Qatar should join the agreements immediately after a deal is reached with Iran, and suggested Iran could eventually become part of the framework.
According to Trump, the Abraham Accords had brought a “Financial, Economic and Social BOOM” to existing members, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and Kazakhstan.
“The Abraham Accords have been great for them and will be even better for everyone and will bring true Strength, Strength and Peace to the Middle East,” he said.
Trump also discussed the issue with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Pakistani Chief of General Staff Asim Munir, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, Jordanian King Abdul Fattah Al Sisi. He also stated that he met with leaders such as Abdullah and Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Calling it potentially the “most important Agreement” in the history of the region, Trump said he had instructed his representatives to begin expanding the Abraham Accords to other countries.
The Abraham Accords are US-brokered agreements signed in 2020 that led to the normalization of diplomatic, economic and security ties between Israel and many Arab countries.
