(Hi Pakistan) The Pakistani Foreign Office has strongly supported covert, if not overt, diplomatic ties with Israel, claiming the shift would bring about a bonanza of political, military, and economic benefits for Pakistan. According to a confidential summary prepared by the Middle East section of the Foreign Office last month, the advantages of recognizing Israel are: hostility of Western countries, in particular the U.S., towards Pakistan will decrease; flow of Western investment to Pakistan will grow; and it would help check fast expanding military ties between Israel and India. "We don't see any harm in recognizing Israel," said a senior Foreign Office official. "We have done the cost and benefit analysis." The country's prime intelligence agency, ISI, has also supported this major policy shift and contributed to the summary. The government recently launched a media campaign to mold public opinion on this vital foreign policy issue.
2003-07-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive