174-member delegation from Pakistan reaches Israel
PakistanTimes.net Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Carrying complete official and political blessings, a 174-member Pakistani delegation led by Maulana Ajmal Qadari reached Tel-Aviv on Saturday, reports noted journalist Aroosa Alam.

This is the first declared Pakistani delegation which has directly gone into Israeli Capital.

The delegation arrived in Amman Jordan via Dobai and is believed to be comprising religious scholars, businessmen and some officials.

DG Middle East at Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ms Humeira Hasan did not like to comment when approached by 'Pakistan Observer'. Information officer of the FO however said that Ministry is not aware of any such delegation visiting Israel.

He said Pakistan’s position on sending delegation to Gaza and West Bank remains same which means that visit of Pakistani delegation has been delayed. Palestinian President Mr Mahmood Abbas during his visit to Pakistan had invited a Pakistani delegation to visit Gaza.

But Palestinian Authority later signalled its inability to receive such a delegation due to its displeasure over the meeting of Pakistani and Israeli Foreign Ministers in Turkey.

Reports from Israel say that a 174-member non official Pakistani delegation has arrived in Tel Aviv Saturday, the report said.

The visit comes after the first meeting between Pakistani and Israeli foreign ministers in Istanbul at the beginning of September. Representatives from Israel and Pakistan have been secretly holding talks for several months through diplomatic and informal channels.

Recap

Israeli Military Radio reported earlier this month that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom will receive the delegation. The relations between the second most populous Muslim country in the world and the Jewish state have been hostile for decades, but began to warm up after Israel offered aid to Pakistan following this month’s devastating earthquake, the Radio report said.

Pakistan accepted Israeli offer, indicating that the sole Muslim nuclear power was cautiously moving towards better ties with Israel. Earlier this year President Pervez Musharraf and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon shook hands on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Two weeks prior to the famous handshake, the two countries foreign ministers met in Istanbul for the first-ever high-level meeting aimed at normalising bilateral relations.

Pakistan had decided to engage with Israel, its foreign minister said then, because Israel pulled out settlers and troops from the Gaza Strip and it constituted a turning point for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Israel currently has full diplomatic relations with only three Arab states namely Mauritania, Egypt and Jordan, and a handful of Muslim majority states including Turkey. The visit by Pakistani delegation has come a day after President General Pervez Musharraf’s meeting with Jack Rozen, Chairman American Jewish Congress.

President told Rozen that Pakistan would consider formally recognising Israel only after the creation of an independent Palestinian state. Pakistan, which has no diplomatic ties with Israel, has long demanded that the Jewish state end its occupation of Palestinian territory and that the Palestinian state should emerge on the world map with Jerusalem as its capital. During meeting, Rozen told President Musharraf that Israel wanted to establish diplomatic, trade and economic ties with Islamabad.

But Musharraf “clearly told him that establishment of an independent Palestinian state, was a must for any forward movement”. Rozen informed Musharraf that the Jewish community in America was collecting donations for the victims of the 8 October earthquake.

Pakistan had earlier declined an offer of direct aid from Israel after the quake, but said it could send aid through international relief organisations. Pakistan did not invite Israel to 18-19 November donors conference in Islamabad to seek more help for the reconstruction of devastated areas.

Meanwhile official sources in Palestinian Embassy expressed their ignorance about the visit of 174-member Pakistani delegation saying that the Embassy has not been informed or contacted by Pakistani authorities about this visit.

They however confirmed the visit and said this delegation will not visit Gaza or West Bank. “If this delegation was to also visit West Bank or Gaza, we would have been approached which is not the case”, said officials.

The Palestinian Authority has not been happy about such contacts with Israel at a time when attacks are still being conducted on
Palestinians. One of the official newspapers of Palestine in its editorial opposed the visit of Pakistani delegation to West Bank and Gaza.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced last week that Pakistan is putting on hold the proposed visit by Pakistani delegation due to earthquake and situation in Palestine.

Maulana Ajmal Qadri, chief of a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam faction, in a press conference at Multan early this month had said that unofficial trade between Pakistan and Israel via Jordan stands at $1 billion a year and Islamabad should officially allow trade with the Jewish state.

Qadri told reporters that he had paid several visits to Israel via Jordan over the last 15 years in his capacity as vice president of a London-based Arab NGO.

Link with Baitul Maqdas

We should not abandon our link with Baitul Maqdas (Jerusalem) and we should visit Israel to see it, he said. Pakistan has begun trade and opened bus links with India and a similar arrangement could be made with Israel.

He said he would soon visit Israel with a 150-member delegation. To a question, Qadri said he would like to see a crusade for the liberation of Palestine, but he thought it unlikely considering the apathetic state of Muslim countries. We should continue negotiations with Israel so that Palestinians can get relief, he said.

No recognition of Israel until independent Palestine: Musharraf

Meanwhile, President Pervez Musharraf has reiterated that Pakistan will not recognise Israel or establish trade links with it until an independent state of Palestine comes into existence.

Talking to Jack Rosen chairman American Jewish Congress (AJC) who called on him at his Camp Office in Rawalpindi, Musharraf said Pakistan is not opposed to Israel. “We want lasting peace and stability in the Middle East. Israel should evacuate other occupied territories and help establish an independent Palestine.”

The President condemned terrorist activities in Palestine saying that an end to violence could lead to a solution to the problem. He urged the American Jewish Congress to exert pressure on Israel to move towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Jack Rosen told the President he had visited quake stricken areas and was saddened by the massive devastation caused by the quake.He informed the president that the AJC was raising funds to help quake victims.

The President thanked Rosen and said Pakistan needed billions of dollars for reconstruction and rehabilitation of quake victims.

Later in an interview with a private television channel, Rosen supported a friendly and cooperative relationship between Pakistan and Israel saying it would serve interests of both. He said the two countries never had any bilateral problem.

He said Pakistan should also accept Israel’s offer of assistance in earth-quake hit areas. Israel has great experience in reconstruction and its health services are among the best in the world.●