Witnesses, including a pilot and three airbase staff members, confirmed that an Israeli plane landed in Islamabad last week.
By World Israel News Staff
For over a week, Pakistani government officials have denied reports that an Israeli plane made a stopover landing in Islamabad around the time of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to Oman.
Three staff members at the Noor Khan military airbase in Rawalpindi, have now confirmed a pilot’s claim that an Israeli plane landed in the Pakistani capital on October 24, Middle East Eye (MEE) said in an exclusive report on Thursday. The pilot spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, MEE said.
The issue came to light the day after, the report continued, when Avi Scharf, editor of the Ha’aretz English-language edition, tweeted details of a flight map showing a private jet flying from Tel Aviv to Islamabad.
Path of flight that left Tel Aviv, landed in Amman and then Islamabad, October 24, 2018. (Twitter/@avischarf)
The reason for the landing and who was on board the flight are still unknown, according to MEE, noting that Pakistan has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Pakistan President Arif Alvi, before departing to Ankara on a three-day visit Sunday, told reporters that all speculation about the landing of an Israeli jet in his country was baseless.
Alvi has insisted that Islamabad will not establish relations with Israel, stating his support for the Palestinians in Gaza.
The U.S. recently announced the freezing of $300 million in military aid to Pakistan for not doing enough to fight Islamic terror groups on its soil.