Will the next normalization agreement be with a non-Arab Muslim country?
In September, British-Pakistani analyst Noor Dahri analyst told Israel Hayom that "Pakistan has never considered the Jewish state as its enemy but may establish conditional relations with it in the future, after the Arab agreements." Shortly after, one of the few remaining Jews in Pakistan, Fishel Khalid, from Karachi, told Israel Hayom in a rare interview: "I'm a Pakistani Zionist."
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
And on Thursday, a small group of Karachi residents held a rare demonstration calling on the Pakistani government to recognize Israel.
At the demonstration, which coincided with International Human Rights Day, the small group of Christian Pakistanis also asked their government to allow them to pilgrimage to Jerusalem, "as other Muslim countries have already done."
They expressed their anger that as citizens of Pakistan they are prohibited from visiting Israel.
"Ever since the establishment of Pakistan, no one has addressed the longstanding aspirations of the local Christians to pilgrimage to the great city [Jerusalem]," God's Peoples Fellowship of Pakistan, a Karachi-based Christian organization that seeks diplomatic ties with Israel, said in a statement. According to the group, "If [the Pakistani government] abolished the ban on YouTube, there's no reason not to abolish the prohibition on visiting Israel."
Due to the immense frustration, the group's deputy Aamir Suleman Aziz, has re-petitioned the Supreme Court of Pakistan to nullify the travel prohibition to Israel. At the same time, GPFP Vice Chairman Shahbaz Ashraf said Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who a month ago remarked that "we've been pressured to recognize Israel," needs to keep his promises to the country's Christians and acknowledge their religious sensibilities.
At the group's demonstration on Thursday, protesters held signs calling Israel a "Light to the Nations," and "Recognize the State of Israel," among others.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
