ISLAMABAD: Commenting on the pot­ential of Pakistan establishing diplomatic ties with Israel, PPP Senator Saleem Man­dviwalla said on Saturday that the country should do what is in its own best interests.

In an interview with DawnNews, Senator Mandviwalla, whose party is a part of the coalition government at the centre, said: “We should not stop dialogue and trade with any country. People criticise Israel… [but] we have to look after our own interests.”

Pakistan does not recognise Israel and, therefore, doesn’t have diplomatic relati­o­­ns with it. The country has been a staunch supporter of demands for a Palestinian state.

Last month, the revelation that Pakistani expats and a couple of citizens recently travelled to Israel as part of a delegation had sparked a controversy.

Speaking to DawnNews, Senator Mandviwalla said that all Middle East­ern nations were negotiating and trading with Israel, adding that Pakistan must also do what suits its own interests.

“I don’t know whether trade with Israel will make a difference to us or not. The nations that were the custodians, which al­­ways took a position on Israel are now talking to them, trading with them.,” he said.

“It remains to be seen whether a deal with Israel is in Pakistan’s interest or not, or whether we are only going to do politics on this issue,” Senator Mandviwalla added.

Similarly, he indicated that the door for dialogue should not be closed on Pakistan’s immediate neighbours, including India. “We have a border with India. Families live here. All three countries (India, Iran and Afghanistan) are important to us.”

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2022