Islamabad (HRNW) Pakistan Television (PTV) anchor Ahmed Quraishi has been sacked from the state television channel after backlash over his recent visit to Israel as part of an inter-faith peace delegation.
The delegation also met with the Israeli president during their visit.
Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Monday confirmed that the television anchor had been laid off and reaffirmed her government’s policy on the Israel-Palestine issue.
Earlier, a video of the Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaking at World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos confirming a meeting with two Pakistanis had sparked anger on the social media and people demanded an explanation from the government.
Although he did not name anyone, Herzog had maintained that both Pakistani nationals were permanently residing in the US and proud of their identities.
Following an uproar on social media, the Foreign Office (FO) as well as the federal government had maintained in separate statements that the visit of two Pakistanis was organized by non governmental organizations (NGOs) based outside of Pakistan.
In the policy statement today, the information minister clarified that Quraishi’s visit to Israel was in his personal capacity and that it had nothing to do with the government or its policies.
She asserted that the government will not step back even an inch from its stated policy on Palestine which had been laid out by the country’s founding father, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
She said the government could not take any step against the will and desires of its people, reiterating that the government strictly complies with its principle stance on the Israel-Palestine issue.
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