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*Snicker* [Dawn] The Ministry of Commerce on Sunday termed rumours regarding trade between Pakistain and Israel as "sheer propaganda" after the "misrepresentation of a statement" issued by the American Jewish Congress (AJC), an association of the Jewish community based in the US.
"The rumours about beginning of Pakistain-Israel trade is sheer propaganda affer (sic) the blurb of AJC which was misrepresented," the ministry said in a statement. "However,
some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go...
neither we have any trade relations with Israel nor we intend to develop any."
Pakistain does not have diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv,
...a stylistic faux pas — the legal capitol of Israel is Jerusalem. Tel Aviv is just where many foreign embassies are located, along with nightlife, beaches, shopping, and the arts... and believes in a "two-state solution in accordance with the relevant United Nations
...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks...
and OIC resolutions as well as international law, with pre-1967 borders and al-Quds al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as the capital of Paleostine".
The statement by the commerce ministry comes after Fishel Benkhald, a Jewish Pak,
...I had no idea any still remained... tweeted on March 28 that he "exported [the] first batch of Pakistain food products to [the] Israel market.
"Congratulations to me as a Pak. I exported first batch of Pak food products to Israel market," Benkhald wrote. "Dates, dry fruits, and a single container of spice."
In his tweet, he tagged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, former prime minister Imran Khan
 ...aka The Great Khan , who is the lightweight's lightweight...
, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif
...served two three non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf, then by the courts...
, and other PML-N leaders including Maryam Nawaz, Ahsan Iqbal and Miftah Ismail.
“Nyah, nyah, nyah!” Subsequently, the AJC released a statement on March 30, saying: "This week, the first shipment of Pakistain-origin food products was offloaded in Israel, in a transaction that involved Pak-Jewish businessman Fishel Benkhald, based in Pakistain’s business hub of Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
, and three Israeli businessmen from Jerusalem and Haifa.
"We welcome this small step that can have wider implications for Israeli and Pak economies and for the region on the lam," the statement said.
The same day, Voice of America ran a story headlined "Rare Trade Occurs Between Pakistain, Israel".
Members of the opposition PTI seized on the development, with Farrukh Habib demanding answers from the Foreign Office, commenting if it was part of the "London Plan" — a phrase coined by party chief Imran Khan.
"Under which deal is this trade being done after the regime change? Why is the Pakistain Democratic Movement (PDM) government silent on this," Habib asked on April 1.
That same day, Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Interfaith Harmony and the Middle East Tahir Ashrafi — who was also a part of the Imran Khan government — told state media that Benkhald was permitted to go to Israel by the PTI government.
Talking to APP, he said the Pak-Jewish businessman exported some goods including dates, dry fruit, and spices to an Arab friendly country and later on, managed to dispatch them to Israel.
Dispelling the impression that trade ties were being established between Pakistain and Israel, he was quoted as saying: "As per reports, neither the Ministry of Commerce, nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs furnished Fishel any no-objection certificate (NOC)."
Separately, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told Independent Urdu that the incumbent government did not permit anyone to engage in any trade activities with Israel.
"We will conduct an investigation into this," he said. "Now we are receiving information that in the previous regime, Imran Khan had given similar permission to someone but nothing of this sort has come up to our notice, information, or inquiry right now."
Today’s the Ministry of Commerce’s clarification said: "Even in their blurb (AJC) nowhere mentioned about official trade between Pak-Israel."
It added: "A Jewish Pak Fishel Benkhald has sent food samples to three businessmen in Jerusalem and Haifa through UAE in personal capacity who he met in foreign countries during food exhibitions.
"Nevertheless, it was not supported by the Pakistain government and no banking or official channel was involved either."
It said that in its talks with the UAE, the "issue of origin will be strictly implemented". "UAE has curtailed tariffs on 96 per cent goods traded with Israel which has benefited traders from UAE to Israel," it added. 
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