ISLAMABAD – In a development that could trigger a serious political backlash against the government, Pakistan is said to have opened its camp office in Tel Aviv, while the two sides are engaged in a series of covert talks to find out possibilities to establish direct links, top-level diplomatic sources told TheNation.
Most interesting part of this episode is that a prominent politician who is also the chief of a religious party, has played vital role in bringing the two sides at a point which could lead Pakistan, following footsteps of Turkey, to recognise Israel in near future.
Sources told TheNation that Pakistani authorities including a prominent politician belonging to a religious party, have been holding talks with Israeli authorities, which took place in Paris and London recently.
When contacted by this correspondent on telephone, FO Spokesperson Abdul Basit strongly denied such reports and saying Pakistan’s policy towards Israel was very much clear and it was using no backdoor channel to establish link with Israel.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistani authorities, keeping in view Israel ‘s position in global scenario, have many a time met Israeli authorities on different occasions in the past. Israel and Pakistan are key allies of the US, and there have been indications of warming ties between them.
In 2005, Israel’s then-foreign minister, Silvan Shalom met his Pakistani counterpart, Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, in Turkey, sparking protests from Islamic hard-liners in Pakistan. In September 2006,
Musharraf had said Pakistan’s government would have to recognise Israel after an independent Palestinian state was established-but not before. “We cannot do something that sidelines us from the Muslim world,” Musharraf had said at that time. Another secret meeting between former President Musharraf and Israel’s defence minister took place in Paris in January 2008.
The two states have no diplomatic ties, and their officials rarely meet. But Musharraf and Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak held a scheduled 20-minute meeting in January 2008 in Paris.