Pakistan has no plans to recognise Israel and will continue its support to Palestinians till the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

"We want peace in Palestine and will continue extending support to our Palestinian brethren," President Pervez Musharraf [Images] said Tuesday during talks with outgoing Palestinian ambassador Ahmed Abdul Razzaq [Images].

He asked Israel to end violence in Palestine and remove hurdles in the way to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, the Daily Times newspaper said.

Razzaq lauded Musharraf's support for the Palestinian cause and demanded Israel pull out from occupied territories in the West Bank.

Musharraf and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had shook hands in September at the start of the UN Summit in New York. The handshake followed a landmark meeting between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Israel, the first formal high-level contact between the Islamic and Jewish states.

The Pakistani leader had played down the significance of the greeting then, saying there was no rush to step up ties between the two countries.