After severe backlash, the Pakistan government on Monday terminated an anchor associated with the state-owned television after he visited Israel as part of a delegation and met Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Though the visit was not an official one, it came under blistering attack from various hawkish politicians and right wing groups.
Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) anchor Ahmad Quraishi, who was part of the delegation of Pakistani-Americans visiting Israel earlier this month, has been terminated.
"The PTV anchor has been terminated and taken off air. He went on the tour in a personal capacity," she was quoted as saying by the state-owned tv channel.
PTV also shared a policy statement of Marriyum who said there was no change in Pakistan's policy with regards to Israel.
"Pakistan's policy on Palestine is clear," she said.
She said that the world saw the two-state solution as a guarantee for lasting peace in the region. The minister said that the promise of a Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders and with Jerusalem as its capital should be fulfilled.
Dawn reported that the visit also came under attack in Senate where Jamaat-i-Islami's Senator Mushtaq Ahmad asked the government to clarify its position on the issue, as well as for the identification of those citizens who went on the trip.
"One of them is associated with PTV and has worked on major projects of the Pakistan Army," he said, adding that a ban should be placed on the NGO that organised the visit. The citizenship of those who went to Israel should be revoked, he demanded.
Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar maintained that there had been no change in Pakistan's policy regarding Israel. Pakistan does not recognise Israel as a state and no official visit took place, he said, adding that it was a serious matter.
On Sunday, the Foreign Office made it clear that no delegation from the country visited Israel and also rejected that any delegation from Pakistan visited Israel.
During a special address at the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting on May 26 in Davos, Israel President Herzog said that he recently received a delegation of Pakistani-Americans in the Jewish state, calling it an "amazing experience".
Pakistan and Israel have no formal diplomatic relations.Â
