Pakistan, Indonesia officials in secret visit to 'Israel': Reports
A secret visit from Pakistani and Indonesian diplomatic delegations has been allegedly reported by Israeli media, however, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs moves to deny any such visit.
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Pakistani protesters in Lahore, Pakistan, condemning Israeli airstrikes on Gaza in 2021 (AFP)
Secret visits from diplomatic delegations from Pakistan and Indonesia have been reported by the Jerusalem Post claiming to have cited Pakistani news outlets on Monday.
The Pakistani-American Nasim Ashraf, also the former Pakistani minister of state under Pervez Musharraf, headed the Pakistani delegation, at a time when Pakistan has been facing internal conflict pertaining to major political alignments on the international level.
Imran Khan, former Pakistani Prime Minister was forced out of office, in April, through a political framework despite being democratically elected and maintaining popular support despite his ousting. Khan, throughout his time in office, had been vocal about Pakistan’s history of strong pro-Palestine stance. However, soon after his ousting, the Pakistani opposition, alongside their American allies, has been seeking to normalize relations with “Israel” under the pretense of Muslim-Israeli relations despite the majority of the Pakistani people expressing their refusal of any such relations.
The Pakistani delegation was given tours across “Israel", according to the report. The delegation has also been scheduled, at a later time in the week, to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The second Pakistani and Pakistani American delegation has left for Israel.
— Hamza Azhar Salam (@HamzaAzhrSalam) September 19, 2022
Great job @anilaali, @sharakango, @ammwecofficial.
Ahmed Quraishi, a Pakistani journalist, is also reportedly part of the delegation. It is notable that Quraishi had been fired from his own show on Pakistani state television, PTV, in June, for having visited "Israel".
The Indonesian delegation, on the other hand, was allegedly headed by an unnamed senior official. However, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied allegations made by the Jerusalem Post.
The Indonesia Foreign Ministry’s Middle East Director Bagus Hendraning Kobarsyih told Tempo.co on Tuesday that “as long as Palestine is under Israeli occupation, Indonesia will not open diplomatic relations with Israel,” adding that “this never happened and Indonesia's stance will always be the same.”
It is worth noting that at the beginning of 2022, a high-ranking Israeli Foreign Ministry official confirmed during a briefing that "Israel" and Indonesia were working behind the scenes toward normalizing relations, with the United States acting as a mediator.
On the ousting of Imran Khan
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said, in April, that he accepted a ruling by Pakistan's Supreme Court that may see him ousted from office.
Khan, who insisted, at the time, that he was a victim of a "regime change" conspiracy driven by the US, had accused the opposition of buying support in the assembly with "open horse-trading... selling of lawmakers like goats and sheep."
In short, Khan accused them of conspiring with Washington because of his opposition to US foreign policy.
