Pakistan, July 11 -- Minister for Religious Affairs, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, on Thursday ruled out any possibility of recognizing Israel, calling it an "illegal state" during a meeting with Palestinian envoy Dr. Zuhair Muhammad Hamdallah Zaid, as he reaffirmed his country's longstanding position on the issue.

The comments come amid a debate on social media over whether Pakistan might be moving closer to joining the Abraham Accords, a US-brokered framework that has seen several Muslim-majority countries normalize relations with Israel since 2020.

The speculation was stirred in the wake of the recent high-level engagements between Pakistani officials and members of US President Donald Trump's administration.

"There has never been, and wi...