ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Twitter users and all major political parties have unanimously rejected the idea of Pakistan opening “channels of communication” with Israel, as the Urdu-language hashtag “Friendship with Israel Unacceptable” became the top trend on the social networking service on Wednesday.
Pakistan does not have diplomatic ties with Israel and has been a staunch supporter of demands for a Palestinian state.
The debate on establishing contact with Israel, on social media websites as well as in political circles, was sparked after one of Pakistan’s most senior journalists, Kamran Khan, suggested in a Twitter post on August 25 that Pakistan “openly debate pros cons of opening direct and overt channels of communication with the State of Israel.”
Khan’s tweet came at a time when tensions between Pakistan and arch-rival and neighboring India are at an all-time high over the disputed Kashmir region which both rule in part but claim in full.
“High time Pakistan counter nefarious Indian designs with bold foreign policy moves. Our deepest friends making fresh alignments,” Khan said. “No permanent friends no enemies,” he added, going on to suggest that Pakistan consider reaching out to Israel.
In response to Khan’s post, scores of Pakistani Twitter users took to the social media platform and quoted Pakistan’s founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, to reject any diplomatic overtures to Israel.
“Our founding fathers said that we are never going to accept Israel … so it’s a foolish topic to discuss that Pakistan can accept Israel,” Twitter user Zia Ur Rehman posted.
“Israel is one of the big enemy countries of Pakistan especially Muslims,” Twitter user Maaz Khan said. “So we don’t know why Israel wants friendship with Pakistan.”
Members of Pakistan’s major political parties also rejected the idea of opening channels of communication with Israel, saying reaching out to the country would distract from the ongoing struggle to highlight human rights abuses by Indian security forces in disputed Kashmir where over eight million people have been living under a security lockdown since August 5.
“It is our stated policy that we are standing with Palestinians from day one and cannot even think of establishing a diplomatic relationship with Israel,” Ahmad Jawad, secretary-information for the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, told Arab News.
He said Pakistan had been highlighting Israeli abuses against Palestinians at all national and international forums: “The debate over Pakistan’s diplomatic relationship with Israel is nothing but wishful thinking. This is also causing distraction from Pakistan’s efforts against Indian occupation in Kashmir.”
“This debate and suggestion [of recognizing Israel] hit our social media and mainstream media whenever there is a tension with India, but there is no chance of any progress on it,” Senator Raja Zafarul Haq of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party told Arab News.
Haq said that there was a political consensus in the country against Israeli rights abuses on Palestinian territory in a similar way in which Pakistanis felt deeply about the situation in Kashmir. “There is absolutely no chance of having any type of relationship with Israel,” he said.
Pakistan Peoples Party’s leader Naveed Chaudhry said his party had always opposed the prospect of diplomatic relations with Israel.
“We consider it [Israel] an illegitimate state,” he said, adding that the people of Pakistan had always stood with Palestinians against Israeli forces and would never approve of the idea of any official communication with the state.
Jamat-e-Islami leader Liaqat Baloch also said the international community should urge Israel to stop committing “war crimes” against Palestinians.
“This debate [on establishing a relationship with Israel] is absurd,” he said. “The Pakistani nation will continue to extend moral and diplomatic support to the Palestinians.”
