Pakistan has ruled out joining the Abraham Accords despite Donald Trump’s call for wider regional participation linked to a possible Iran-US agreement.
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Islamabad would not support any accord conflicting with the country’s “fundamental ideologies”. | Xinhua via IANS
Pakistan has firmly pushed back against suggestions of joining the Abraham Accords, with Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif saying Islamabad would not support any arrangement that goes against the country’s “fundamental ideologies”.
The remarks came after US President Donald Trump publicly called on several Muslim-majority nations, including Pakistan, to join the US-brokered diplomatic framework linked to Israel as part of a wider regional deal involving Iran. Trump described the effort as a potentially “Historic Event” for the Middle East and claimed talks with Tehran were “proceeding nicely”.
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Speaking to Pakistani broadcaster Samaa TV, Asif dismissed the possibility of Pakistan becoming part of the accords and questioned the reliability of engagement with Israel.
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“Personally, I don’t think we should join any such accord that clashes with our fundamental ideologies,” the Pakistani Defence Minister said during the interview.
He further remarked, “How will you sit down with those people whose word cannot be trusted even for a single day?”
Reiterating Pakistan’s long-held position on Israel, Asif added, “We have a very clear stance that this is not acceptable to us.”
He also referred to Pakistan’s passport policy to underline the country’s refusal to recognise Israel.
“And secondly, on our passports, we are the only country whose passports don’t even include Israel’s name,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, Trump urged several Arab and Muslim-majority countries to join the Abraham Accords as part of a broader regional settlement tied to a possible agreement with Iran.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said the negotiations with Tehran could reshape the region if successful.
“Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely! It will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all,” Trump wrote.
He also warned that failure to reach an agreement could mean “Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before.”
Trump specifically named Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain among countries he wanted to see join the accords. He further suggested that Iran itself could eventually become part of the framework if a deal with Washington is finalised.
According to Trump, countries already part of the Abraham Accords, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and Kazakhstan, had witnessed a “Financial, Economic, and Social BOOM”.
“The Abraham Accords have been great for them, and will be even better for everybody, and bring true Power, Strength, and Peace to the Middle East,” he stated.
The Abraham Accords are US-mediated agreements signed in 2020 that led to the normalisation of diplomatic, economic and security relations between Israel and several Arab nations.
Trump said he had discussed the issue with multiple regional leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Calling it potentially “the most important Deal” in the region’s history, Trump said he had directed his representatives to begin expanding the accords to more nations.
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