Which Muslim State is Pressuring Pakistan to Normalize With Israel?

The Pakistani prime minister made headlines last week when he revealed that Islamabad has been under pressure from some “friendly” nations to recognize Israel.

Although he stopped short of naming them despite being repeatedly asked whether they were Muslim or non-Muslim countries, many believe Imran Khan was referring to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

“Leave this [question]. There are things we cannot say. We have good relations with them,” Khan told the interviewer.

PM Imran Khan said:
Pakistan will never recognise #Israel until oppressed Palestinians are given their land.”
Pakistan will keep supporting #Palestine on every cost.#StopNormalizingIsrael#اسرائیل_نا_منظور pic.twitter.com/i0qh4p6wnr— Fatima Zahra 🍁 (@FatiMaS_ZAhRaQ2) November 24, 2020

The UAE and Bahrain recently established diplomatic and economic relations with Israel. Some other Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, are also weighing options to normalize relations.

“Let us stand on our own feet in terms of the economy, then you may ask these questions,” Khan further said, referring to Islamabad’s longstanding economic dependence on the oil-rich Gulf states.

https://twitter.com/FatiMaS_ZAhRaQ3/status/1331266155152089096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1331266155152089096%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.albawaba.com%2Fnews%2Fwhich-muslim-state-pressuring-pakistan-normalize-israel-1394853

Some local and international media took Khan as hinting at the US, Pakistan’s longtime ally in the so-called war against terrorism, a contention quickly rejected by Islamabad.

According to Siddiqi, Pakistani officials, even former officials, however, would not confirm or deny if there is any pressure on Pakistan to recognize Israel.

But if countries are exerting pressure, is Saudi Arabia among them?

No Saudi pressure

Lt. Gen. (retd.) Talat Masood, an Islamabad-based security analyst, said Riyadh is not persuading Pakistan to recognize Israel.

“The Arab states are normalizing their ties with Israel under a narrow approach purely based on political and economic gains at the cost of values. They no longer care much about the Palestine cause,” he told Anadolu Agency.

“There could be a little Saudi role to woo Pakistan in this regard, but by and large, I don’t think there is any pressure,” said Masood, who served in the Pakistani army till 1990.

Pakistan’s former ambassador to Saudi Arabia Shahid Amin shared a similar opinion. “Why would Saudi Arabia do that… after the Foreign Ministry’s clarification, it should be cleared. Pakistan does not fit in this picture,” he said.

Amin, nonetheless, acknowledged that Abu Dhabi and Manama have normalized ties with Tel Aviv with Riyadh’s consent.

Similar Articles

Comments

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Advertisment

Most Popular