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Making Peace between Pakistan and Israel

(Express Tribune-Pakistan) Hussain Nadim - Pakistan's position on Israel is one of those senseless policies that have been in practice for over seven decades handicapped by inertia, propaganda and misplaced emotions. As a foreign policy realist, I have long been a strong proponent for opening up ties with Israel as a necessary step to win a favorable position in Washington and, most importantly, have one enemy less in a hostile neighborhood. One could understand Pakistan's position on Israel back in the 1950s and 1960s with the need to be part of the Ummah and reap the benefits of the growing Islamic bloc. But from the 1970s onward, Pakistan's policy not to recognize Israel is plain ridiculous. For one, the Arab-Israeli issue got reduced down to the Palestinian-Israeli issue, with major stakeholders, including Jordan and Egypt, developing full diplomatic ties with Israel. There are whispers that the Saudis are in the process of officially recognizing Israel. That leaves Pakistan as the only one left playing a game that is not even its own and for no reason. One wonders what national interest the Pakistani leadership is pursuing by creating an additional enemy out of a potential ally. In all my discussions with the high-ups of the Pakistani security establishment, politicians and diplomats, there is a high acceptance and willingness to engage with Israel. The problem is that nobody wants to take responsibility, fearing a backlash from religious hawks who wrongly put it as a religious issue. The writer is a PhD candidate and director of the South Asia Study Group at the University of Sydney.
2018-01-26 00:00:00
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