Good meeting between Pakistan and Israel, says Archbishop of Lahore

Lahore (AsiaNews) – Diplomatic talks between Pakistan and Israel are a "good and realistic step towards world peace" and "talking should always be there and all faiths should work together for peace," said Mgr Lawrence John Saldanha in an interview with AsiaNews.

It is in these terms that the Archbishop of Lahore spoke about the first meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Israel and Pakistan, adding that "Christians who fled from Palestine should be able to go back to the Holy Land where Jesus Christ born there, and join the peace process. It is good to recognize Israel but disputes should be resolved first in bilateral talks".

Last Thursday's meeting in Istanbul between Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and his Pakistani counterpart Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri was the first of its kind. Mr Shalom called it "historic" in a press release, expressing "hope that it will herald the beginning of an open and mutually beneficial relationship between our two countries."

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf tried to downplay the event, reiterating that "[w]e will not talk about recognition of Israel until a Palestinian state is established and then we will think about it".

Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan said: "This contact, the first at this level, is essentially a gesture to Israel to underscore the importance that we attach to the end of Israeli occupation of Gaza and to the Middle East peace process."

Qazi Hussain Ahmed, who heads the Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), a coalition of seven radical Islamist parties with 53 seats in parliament, stated that the "government overtures towards Israel is against Pakistan's ideology," adding that parliament had not been consulted about this high level meeting.

Sheikh Mansoor, a Muslim attorney and human rights activist, told AsiaNews that it was "the right direction for Pakistan to take; now we are really joining world politics in the right manner."

"In past Islamic history, our great Muslim leaders have had agreements with Jews to avoid wars; why not now," he said.

In his view, extremists in Pakistan are contrary to this good move because they are "not fully aware of Quranic teachings as well as the prophet's sayings".

Shahbaz Bhatti, chairman of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, said he was certain that this opening would "promote interfaith harmony and dialogue."

"We, too, should be given an opportunity and the freedom to visit our holy places in Israel," he noted. "Since Pakistan has not yet recognized Israel, no Pakistani citizen can visit Israel."

Mir Ahmad Ali, an Islamic scholar, said in an interview with AsiaNews that "there is no wrong in having a dialogue but the interests of the Palestinians should be upheld."

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