Recent overtures by Musharraf’s government to Israel must have proved too much for Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) to stomach. The MMA, of course, is a loose
alliance of six Islamic parties whose ameer, or leader is Mr Qazi Hussain Ahmed. In a
temperamental display, MMA members walked out of parliament in protest of the
government’s talks with Israel. They must have took lessons from Benjamin
Netanyahu, who at the last minute of the Gaza pullout, resigned from Ariel
Sharon’s ruling Likud. Israelis are cynical about the move. They know it’s
political.
Mr Qazi told the BBC on 1 September 2005 that Pakistan’s cozying up to Israel went "against Pakistan’s national interest as
well as state policy."
Back in the Occupied Territories, a Hamas spokesman, Hassan Yussef, said: "We
condemn any relationship between an Islamic state and the Israelis and we ask
Pakistan to go back on this agreement."
What agreement? No agreement was signed between Pakistanis and Jews. The talk
was convened at the specific request of PLO chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, and Saudi
King Abdullah. If the request had been submitted to the MMA, would they have
rejected it? Probably yes. Like Hamas, the MMA doesn’t believe in half-measures.
As far as they are concerned, Israel rightfully belongs in the sea.
Unfortunately, that possibility grows remoter with each passing day. Even
Saudi King Abdullah was
prepared to recognize Israel in 2002. Granted, commentators scoffed the Saudi peace initiative as being nothing more than a public-relations stunt to counter the bad rep it received after 9-11, but the gesture was highly significant; coming as it had, from a kingdom that
once attempted to
ban tourists based on their Jewish-ness.
Meanwhile, Israel, with optimism that’s bound to irritate MMA and Hamas,
proclaimed: "We are talking about a tremendous significance, not just in
regards to our relations with Pakistan, but the entire Muslim world."
That’s a little over-the-top. Pakistan isn’t exactly the model of Islamic governance, and as history attests, has its hands bloodied by
the Bangladeshi genocide of the 70s.
Pakistan’s involvement in the Palestinian issue should surely be one of
engagement, and not spiteful indifference. Moreover, India’s growing relations
with Israel worries Pakistan’s military establishment. With an ostensible
transfer of radar and anti-missile technology into India, Pakistan’s nuclear
arsenal might well become irrelevant. Pervez Musharraf has much to think about in the coming months.
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