ISLAMABAD, Sept. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Pakistani Foreign Minister KHurshid Kasuri and his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom met Thursday morning in Istanbul, which has been the first-ever such contact at the ministerial level in over 50 years, Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan told reporters here at a press conference without giving any details.

    The meeting, however, does not imply recognition of Israel by Pakistan, which has not recognized Israel since the foundation of the Jewish state in 1948, and it is essentially a gesture to Israel to underscore the importance that Islamabad attaches to the end of Israeli occupation of Gaza and to the Middle East peace process, Khan stressed.

    Pakistan, Khan said, expects Israel to continue the process in the West Bank so that all occupied Palestinian territories are vacated leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security, which is vital for just and durable peace in the Middle East.

    He reiterated Pakistan's principled stand on the Palestinian issue, saying it remains unchanged.

    "We stand by our Palestinian brothers and sisters in their cause for the establishment of an independent state in Palestine with Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital," Khan noted.

    He also expressed Pakistan's gratitude to Turkey for arranging the meeting and said Islamabad informed in advance a number of Islamic countries which are situated in close proximity to Israel or are directly concerned with the Palestinian issue.

    However, the meeting had an immediate negative response from Pakistani Islamic groups. "We strongly condemn this unfortunate meeting that Pakistani foreign minister has held with a Zionist representative. We consider Israel as an illegitimate state as it has occupied Al-Quds, the third most holy site in Islam," said Qazi Hussain Ahmed, president of Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal, an alliance of six Islamic groups and one of the country's main opposition parties.

    He told private Geo television that Kasuri's meeting with Israeli foreign minister is contrary to the basic policy of
Pakistan and Islamic teachings. Enditem