Relations with India separate from those with Pakistan: Israel

Amid emerging bonhomie with Pakistan, Israel has said it never had any plans with India to take out Islamabad’s nuclear assets, and has made it clear that it wanted to keep its relations with New Delhi separate from those with its Islamic neighbour.

Israel never participated in any plan with India to take out Pakistan’s nuclear assets because it does not see Islamabad as a threat, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said in an interview to daily Dawn,published on Tuesday. Shalom also said that never in the last 58 years had ‘‘Israel considered Pakistan an enemy’’ and that it had always believed public assurances from Islamabad that ‘‘the country’s nuclear programme is not directed against Israel’’.

‘‘There never ever was a plan to take out Pakistan’s nuclear programme,’’ he told the Dawn daily when asked for comments on a statement by former Army chief Mirza Aslam Beg that India and Israel had finalised a plan in 1991 to launch air strikes on the country’s nuclear installations.

‘‘These are conspiracy theories that are floated against Israel from time to time. Our relations with India are not against any country. We never have and never will participate in any plan with India or any other country to harm Pakistan.’’