Pakistan will have to face consequences for opposing Israel

Islamabad – Pakistan is looking at the Israel-Hamas conflict as a political opportunity. Pakistan Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, is preparing to raise the issue of the conflict in Gaza, along with the Turkish Foreign Minister, in the UN Security Council. At the same time, Shehbaz Sharif, the opposition leader in the Pakistan Parliament, has shown the mirror to the Pakistan government by saying, ‘Beggars cannot have a right to choose’. Some of the analysts have warned that Pakistan is once again appeasing countries like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries in the Gulf, in a wrong way, by adopting a vitriolic stand against Israel, and this is a major threat to Pakistan itself. But the Imran Khan government in Pakistan is not willing to consider these opinions. Discussions were held on the Gaza conflict in the special session of the Pakistan Parliament. During the discussion, Ali Muhammad Khan, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister of Pakistan, claimed that the Israeli attack is sparking the third world war. Whereas Moulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, Member of Parliament, demanded the use of nuclear weapons in the Palestine and Kashmir issues. Moulana Chitrali asked the military chief that if these nuclear weapons, missiles and such a vast army cannot be used in these two problems, then what worth is all this.

Moulana Chitrali stated that Pakistan should declare a religious war against Israel. Whereas, former Pakistan Prime Minister, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, asked if the Turkish proposal for joint military of Islamic nations for the security of the Palestinians is acceptable to the Pakistan government. The government avoided answering the question. But Pakistan Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, is preparing to raise the Gaza issue in the United Nations in collaboration with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Palestinian leader Riyad al-Maliki also has left for New York, along with Qureshi and Cavusoglu.

Pakistan is making an effort to increase its importance by raising the Gaza issue in the UN General Assembly on Thursday. Turkish President Erdogan has responded to this Pakistani action. But this may not go well with Saudi Arabia, UAE and other Gulf countries. These Arab-Islamic countries are not willing to take an open stand against Israel on the Palestine issue. At the same time, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan are taking an aggressive stand against Israel. Turkey and Iran may have the capacity to stand firm on their position. But the analysts are raising a concern that what will happen if Saudi Arabia and the UAE demand repayment of the loans given by them to Pakistan.

While speaking in the Pakistan Parliament, opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif issued a warning with a frank statement that beggars don’t have a right to choose. In other words, Sharif is warning the Pakistan government that this action comes with a price. But the Pakistan government has decided to ignore the warning issued by Sharif. Pakistan government does not accept the rational statement made by Sharif that there should be political and economic stability in the country before adopting an independent stand on any issue. Therefore, there could be an increase in the problems faced by Pakistan shortly. Pakistan has made efforts to build an organisation, parallel to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), with assistance from Turkey and Malaysia. But after the thrashing by Saudi Arabia, it became impossible for the Pakistan Prime Minister to attend the conference held on his own initiative. Pakistani journalists and analysts are warning that the next part of this will be visible soon.