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KARACHI, Sept 4: Pakistan has not recognized Israel and will take a decision in this regard after establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state. This was stated by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Ijazul Haq while talking to journalists at the PML House here on Saturday.
He said Pakistan never changed its viewpoint on the Palestine-Israel issue during the whole period of 58 years and it still held it the same way.
Highlighting the role being played by President General Pervez Musharraf towards addressing global issues, the minister said the president had called upon the western world to make combined and sustained efforts for a logical solution to the issues pertaining to the oppression against Muslims in the world. He said the president had also called for resolution of Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East issues.
Referring to the acceptance of an invitation from a Jewish organization by President Musharraf to speak at its forum, Ijazul Haq said it was a great opportunity to present Pakistan’s point of view to the world from a Jewish platform.
“Like Kashmir problem, the issue of Palestine should also be resolved in accordance with the aspirations of its people,” he said.
In reply to a question, he said that madressas would be given the status of a board which would be authorized to issue its degrees.
Regarding registration of madressas, he said it was initiated on the request of the Idara Tanzimat-i-Madaris under the Societies Act. The process, he added, would be completed by the end of this year.
The minister said that the registration was aimed at bringing transparency to the system of madressas and to strengthen them further.
He described madressas as the ‘best NGOs of the world’, and said efforts were being made to ensure that more than 11,000 madressas functioning in the country were providing best religious as well as other education to thousands of their students.
NISAR MEMON: A former federal minister and chairman of the Senate’s committee on defence, Nisar A. Memon, has said that the initiation of a dialogue with Israel is ‘a great historic step,’ by President Musharraf.
Talking to APP on his return from Nairobi on Sunday, he said: “This would pay great dividends in promoting the cause of peace and Muslims all over the world, specially the people of Palestine who are struggling for an independent state.”
Describing initiation of the process ‘a master stroke’, he said that the root-cause of terrorism, which had gripped the world at large, could be found in the unresolved international disputes.
Any attempt made to address the root-causes of terrorism should be welcomed by all members of the international community, including Pakistan, who believed in peace and human dignity, he stressed, and added that Pakistan’s future relations with Israel should be seen in this context.
He observed that the essence of Pakistan-Israel relationship should not be regarded as ‘an isolated diplomatic move’ but one that was in line with President Musharraf’s vision of ‘enlightened moderation’.
To engage with Israel for the sake of resolution of Palestine issue was a visionary, diplomatic and historic event and also a pragmatic, realistic and imperative need of the prevailing international environment, more especially for the Ummah, Mr Memon pointed out.
He dismissed as ridiculous the arguments that Pakistan had taken this step under US pressure and for getting concessions from the super power.
“This is genuinely a strategy that is truly selfless and aimed at resolving the longstanding issue of the inherent right of Palestinian Muslims.”
He pointed out that the government had already made it clear that recognition of Israel would be dependent on establishment of an independent Palestinian state and there was no abandonment of Pakistan’s core foreign policy principles in this regard.
“We should be proud of the fact that the world at large and an influential Jewish community in US, as well as elsewhere, had recognized the importance of President Pervez Musharraf’s role as the only man who could bridge the gap and lead the inter-faith dialogue, thus leading the world out of the quagmire of terrorism.”—APP
