Pakistan minister denies trade links with Israel after reports of ‘exported’ goods

Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah speaks during a press conference in Islamabad. (File/AFP)

• Sanaullah’s statement came days after the American Jewish Congress said the first shipment of “Pakistan-origin food products” was recently offloaded in Israel

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has denied claims of trade relations between Islamabad and Israel following widely circulated reports of goods allegedly “exported” to the Jewish nation.
Sanaullah’s statement came days after the New York-based American Jewish Congress said the first shipment of “Pakistan-origin food products” was recently offloaded in Israel in an arrangement between Pakistan-Jewish businessman Fishel Benkhald and three Israeli businessmen.
Benkhald also took to Twitter to share a clip showing dates, dried fruits and spices he allegedly “exported” from Pakistan to the Israeli market. His tweet has since garnered 2 million views, sparking speculations of a shift in bilateral ties.
"We may investigate it but our government has not allowed anyone (to trade with Israel),” Sanaullah told the Independent Urdu news service in an interview published on Sunday. “There is no such thing.”
Pakistan has no diplomatic relations with Israel and has for decades called for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and borders before the 1967 war.
The country’s Commerce Ministry also said the reports were “sheer propaganda” and that Benkhald had acted in a “personal capacity” to send food samples to businessmen in Jerusalem and Haifa via the UAE.
Benkhald, who is based in Karachi and was issued a Pakistani passport as a Jew in 2019, has often advocated for trade and diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Israel through social media.
“It was not supported by the Pakistani government and no banking or official channel was involved either,” the ministry said.  
As reports of Pakistani exports entering the Israeli markets gained traction, calls are growing for an official investigation.
Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, a senator, said that the government “must take immediate action and apprise the nation of the situation.”
Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, said that rumors were now spreading in the name of Pakistan and that “although this is an individual act, it must be investigated.”