By
Naila Inayat
20 August,
2020
Prompted by
last week’s historic deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to
normalise relations, it is that time of the year again when a discussion in
Pakistan begins, rather discretely: Do we accept Israel, or not? And like all
the other times, this too shall pass, or not.
File photo | Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Gen Qamar Javed
Bajwa | Facebook/Imran Khan Official
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Prime
Minister Imran Khan has stated that no matter what other countries do, Pakistan
will never recognise Israel until “Palestinians are given their right of a just
settlement”. If Pakistan accepts Israel, it will have to give up Kashmir as
well, because the same situation applies there. Khan’s statement came after a
carefully drafted response from the Pakistan Foreign Office that the UAE-Israel
deal “is a development with far-reaching implications”. Neither condemning nor
commending, staying clear of creating troubles for itself with the Gulf state,
while still recovering from the diplomatic fiasco with Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan,
for decades, has ideologically aligned itself with the Gulf and the Arab world.
So, will their warming up to Israel now make Pakistan reconsider its politics?
The Star
of Conspiracy
After
Partition, Pakistan solemnly opposed the idea of ties with Israel, despite it
being the only other ideological state in the world apart from Pakistan.
For a state
that Pakistan refuses to recognise, we certainly worry about Israel a bit much,
and also think that it worries about us. But of course, Pakistan is the centre
of the universe, and every country out there is conspiring against us. That’s
why most ‘traitors’ and ‘agents’ are coloured Yahoodi (Jew) and all ‘lobbies’
working against Pakistan are Jewish. A close second winner is the Hanood
(Hindu) with their R&AW agents.
Those who
advocate acceptance of Israel by Pakistan often point to India and Israel’s
friendly relations. To keep India’s ‘nefarious ‘designs in check and to counter
it, this could be a good way forward. Such is the paranoia that half of
Pakistan still believes that our country arrested an Israeli pilot on the day
Abhinandan Varthaman fell in Pakistan. While the other half believes that
Israeli pilots led the Indian airstrike on Balakot. One can always blame India
for using Israeli bombs in Balakot, hence the confusion.
This just
goes to show anything and everything Israeli is a ‘Zionist’ conspiracy. Naya
Pakistan has witnessed a couple of them. A member of parliament from Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) suggested ties with Israel, urging Muslims and Jews to
come to a peaceful settlement. This rang alarm bells that the PTI is working on
a “Jewish agenda”. Then there was the curious case of an Israeli plane landing
in Rawalpindi in 2018, while Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was on a visit to
Oman, but the Pakistan government continued to deny it. Then Pakistan’s
Immigration and Passports Office listed Israel among countries whose citizens
were allowed to visit Pakistan, but later clarified it was a mistake.
The
passport of Pakistan says: “This passport is valid for all countries of the
world except Israel.” So, if Jewish or Christian Pakistanis want to go for a
pilgrimage to Israel, what should they do? Perhaps, Navjot Singh Sidhu can help
find a way to lead them to Jerusalem given his magical hug with army chief Gen
Qamar Javed Bajwa opened up the Kartarpur corridor. Or else, they could get arrested
like David Ariel, a Pakistani citizen who protested in Islamabad saying he
wanted to travel to Israel on his Pakistani passport.
Who
Cares What Pakistanis Think?
The first
leader to openly challenge the status quo was military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf,
who said that if the Palestinians and Israelis reach a peace deal, then why
should Pakistan not recognise the country? In 2005, in Ankara, the foreign
ministers of Israel and Pakistan held the first-ever officially acknowledged
meeting, which was met with much condemnation by religious groups back home.
Understandably so, because the anti-Israel sentiment has been good for
rabble-rousing.
The notion
that public sentiment is against any association with Israel is as accurate as
the notion that Pakistanis’ emotions don’t matter when their vote is stolen.
But to think that the common Pakistani has a say in foreign policy is
laughable. If the winds have to change, they will change, and the Jazbaat of
the people will be the last thing anyone would worry about.
Before
recognising Israel, it will be good for Pakistan to recognise itself. And
decide what it actually wants as a State. Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi
said that international relations are above religious sentiments — a thought
hardly adhered to by anyone in Pakistan. For now, Israel is Pakistan’s enemy
number one until Palestine is freed. This gives us a break from India for a
while.
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Naila
Inayat is a freelance journalist from Pakistan. Views are personal.
Original
Headline: Pakistan’s enemy number one is Israel now. India can wait
Source: The Print