Prime Minister Imran Khan came under severe criticism in the Senate on Thursday for allegedly permitting a Pakistani national of Jewish faith to travel to Israel on a Pakistani passport in which it is clearly written that "it is valid for all the countries except Israel."
Speaking on a point of public importance in the Senate, former Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani said that a Pakistani citizen who is a Jew, has been allowed by the Foreign Office to travel to Israel after the Prime Minister Secretariat okayed the case.
He questioned that the Jew who is a Pakistani passport holder, has been allowed to travel to Israel despite the fact that the green passport is not valid for Israel, adding, "If so, the PM office permitted [him], as claimed by the Foreign Office, some 3-4 weeks back, there was a tweet that an Israeli plane landed at Islamabad, stayed for few hours and then left."
Given the situation and a categorical travel ban to Israel, Rabbani questioned if there is any such move that Pakistan is mulling softening its position towards Israel, at least the Parliament needs to know about this.
"We've been saying this all along that this Parliament is the only place where such major policy decisions and policy shifts, if they are taking place, should be taken [as] I'm still giving the benefit of doubt to the story, but it needs to be confirmed," he added.
Terming the issue as highly sensitive, he said that it is clearly mentioned in the Pakistani passport that it is not valid for Israel, and how the Foreign Office and Prime Minister's Office have given their okay, allowing a national to travel to Israel.
He contended if there is a shift in Pakistan's foreign policy towards appeasement or there is some backchannel diplomacy which is opened with Israel, the Parliament of the country should at least be taken into confidence.
"If the foreign policy of the country is not formulated in Parliament where else it should be framed? The foreign minister [Shah Mehmood Qureshi] had claimed that foreign policy will be formulated here but we know that it is not framed at the Foreign Office," he said.
Rabbani said if the foreign policy is not framed at Foreign Office, the government should at least take the Parliament into confidence if it is going to take such a huge strategic change with regard to the foreign policy of the country.
Leader of the House in Senate Shibli Faraz seconded Rabbani, saying there is a restricted clause in the passport, which does not allow a Pakistani national to travel to Israel. He also said there is a need to know under which rule, the Foreign Ministry allowed a Pakistani national to travel to Israel.
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