The Gulf and the Middle East represent Pakistan’s western neighborhood. Successive Pakistani governments have worked on positioning the country as a pivot in West, Central, and South Asia since the beginning of the 21st century. This vision has received a boost recently with the emergence of several regional policy initiatives that increase hopes for moderate and responsible states in this region to come together to forge a new political, economic, and security structure based on shared progress and prosperity.
Since Independence in 1947, Pakistan fostered cooperative ties to realize this regional vision. After 9/11, and with the support of key partners, Pakistan led the fight against extremism and terrorism, fighting ideologies that exploit religion and conflict to weaken states and divide societies.
Pakistan has pursued efforts to resolve conflict in Afghanistan, in South Asia, and in the Middle East. When the Palestinians and Israel took steps to make peace in the 1990s, Pakistan stepped forward to encourage them. Between 1995 and 2005, several towering Pakistani leaders, including Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, and President Pervez Musharraf, took courageous steps to encourage Palestinians and Israelis to stay the course. This included opening a Palestinian embassy in Islamabad, and several unofficial meetings between leaders of Israel and Pakistan.
Pakistani leadership took the lead, in September 2005, to call for Muslim-Jewish reconciliation and understanding, and for engagement with Israel, culminating in the landmark, first official meeting between then Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri of Pakistan and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom of Israel, in Istanbul, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkiye.
The signing of Abraham Accords in 2020, by brave Arab and Israeli leaders, with timely American leadership, has opened new doors to political, diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation in the region. With this, Israel joins Arab and Muslim nations in the region to pursue common goals of peace, cooperation, and conflict-resolution.
The key to peace is consistency, leadership, and keeping challenges in context to achieve a wider vision.
There could not be a better time to talk about dosti between Pakistanis and Israelis, two smart peoples and nations that share many commonalities of history and nationhood. Pakistan is part of a regional community of nations steeped in culture and history that can contribute to this vision.
I am honored by the organizers of this effort to let me write these words at the launching of this website that carries a hope that will flourish in times to come.
May this dosti pay dividends for all.
Ahmed Quraishi is a Pakistani journalist who covers national security issues in MENA region, with a focus on human rights, interfaith, and conflict resolution.