LONDON: Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif’s Adviser Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, met Director-General of Israel’s Ministry of Tourism Michael Yizhakov at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, claimed ProPakistani, a digital news platform.
ProPakistani claim
Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, Adviser to Pakistan’s Prime Minister on Tourism, Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, was seen meeting and shaking hands with Michael Yizhakov, Director-General of Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London.
The brief exchange took place at the Pakistan pavilion, drawing attention as the two countries have no formal diplomatic relations. Footage and photos from the event show the two officials engaging in a cordial conversation during the international tourism fair, which hosted delegations from over 180 countries.
The meeting comes amid renewed international focus on Pakistan’s potential role in regional diplomacy, as reports have recently mentioned the country among those that could participate in future peace or humanitarian initiatives related to Gaza.
The digital news platform even quoted the Israeli official’s tweet.
Pakistan Connect Fack Check
The claim and story made out of nothing seems to make people believe as if its true. However, what shown in the video is not an official meeting.
Journalist and senior reporter Murtaza Ali Shah took to X, saying that during the event, a group of individuals from Israel visited the Pakistan Pavilion unannounced.
He further said that the Israeli official met the Pakistani delegation without introducing themselves.
Conclusion
The Pakistan delegation, attending the World Travel Market (WTM) in London met with many people from different parts of the world.
People come and visit the stalls in big events but such visits cannot be termed as official meetings or associated with officials who represent their respective countries.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan has no ties with Israel and Pakistani passport holders cannot travel there. There is clear mention on Pakistani passport that “This passport is valid for all countries of the world except Israel.”
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