Daily Times

A blog in Israeli leading paper about the former Prime Minister of Pakistan is taking rounds in media debates.

The publication of a blog in the Times of Israel has added more intrigue to the content which revolves around Israel’s unannounced hopes to seek recognition from Pakistan using the much-talked-about popularity of the imprisoned former prime minister.

Supporters of the PTI are in the habit of proudly highlighting the international fame of their founding party chairman as compared to rival political leaders. However, this time a very controversial dimension of the party leader’s fame has emerged from the blog in question. Pakistan neither recognizes Israel as a state nor has any formal diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv.

Father of the Nation Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the first governor-general of Pakistan, was the architect of newly born Pakistan’s foreign policy about Israel. Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s views about Israel were absolutely clear and principle-based. Jinnah believed that Israel was a dagger thrust into the heart of Ummah and an illegitimate state unworthy of formal recognition from Pakistan.

Supporters of the PTI are in the habit of proudly highlighting the international fame of their founding party chairman as compared to rival political leaders.

Strong public sentiments in Pakistani society about Israel have taken deeper roots amid Tel Aviv’s brutal atrocities against Palestinians. The stronger religious leaning of the masses also creates a major impact in formulating an overall unfriendly perception of Israel in the Muslim world. Pakistan is no exception to this natural phenomenon rather Islamic roots in society are comparatively more robust and deeper due to the peculiar course of the 1947 partition.

A Muslim country like Pakistan having ideological roots, strong armed forces and nuclear power status has all the ingredients to keep Israel apprehensive about the unforeseen future courses.

Those who try to downplay the prevailing concerns in Pakistani society about Israel on various pretexts are either ignorant of the ground realities or adopt a peculiar prejudiced left-wing stance designed to counter the religiously inspired concepts.

One can fairly comprehend the aggressive Israeli mindset towards the Muslim world by recalling Operation Opera. In June 1981, Israel blatantly violated international laws and destroyed the Iraqi Atomic reactor with air strikes. Israel justified this violation with self-style state security concerns and titled the aggression “Counter Proliferation Preventive Strikes”.

The unconditional support of the USA and the Western world has enabled Israel for countless war crimes against Palestinians. The establishment of illegal Jewish settlements on occupied territories and frequent killings of unarmed Palestinians are continuously provoking public sentiments against the rogue manoeuvres of Israel in Muslim societies. In the garb of anti-Hamas operations, Israel has martyred more than forty thousand innocent Palestinians since October 2023.

Victims comprise unarmed men, women, hospital patients and kids. In a recent verdict of ICJ, Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories has been declared illegal. Merciless genocidal actions of Israeli forces have been condemned globally without discrimination of religious leanings. Israel constantly remains entangled in a state of fear about her security.

Under the influence of this psychological fear, Israel remains extra offensive and apprehensive towards stable Muslim countries. Publication of an unpopular author’s blog in a paper like the Times of Israel containing the sensitive issue of Israel’s recognition in Pakistan is quite a meaningful development on many accounts.

Amid the paper’s alignment with the state of Israel, all of its publications are considered an unofficial reflection of Tel Aviv’s mindset. The content of the blog is sufficient to open the eyes of those blind supporters of PTI who worship their party chairman without any rationality.

Why is an aligned Israeli paper counting on the popularity of former PMs to seek recognition from Pakistan? The myth of incredible popularity seems to be unfolding viciously.

A meaningful pattern is emerging from some of the recent developments linked to the hysterical protest drive of the former prime minister.

Contrary to populist anti-West rhetoric, close companions of the former prime minister are running polls and bounds in the US Congress and the British House of Commons to pressure Pakistan. Predominantly, Israel-friendly Western media has remained sympathetic and supportive towards the rhetorical strategy of founder PTI in post no-confidence motion.

The blog has given fair evidence of Israel’s deep insight into Pakistan’s political, religious and social dynamics. This aspect merits transparency as to whether UK-based influential Jewish in-laws of the former prime minister were involved in any kind of advocacy with Israel. Similar accusations kept surfacing earlier as well, however, Israel’s growing interest in the release of popular Pakistani politicians is unusually abnormal.

PTI leadership should come clean out of this controversy with an unambiguous stance otherwise any kind of hidden association with Israel would be enough to sink the political ship fluctuating in troubled waters.

The writer is a graduate of QAU, PhD scholar and a freelance writer and can be reached at fa7263125@gmail.com