Pakistan recently elected as its new prime minister the superstar cricketer Imran Khan. Khan is known for his liberal tendencies and was a close friend of Princess Diana. He called for the creation of a "new Pakistan" and ran on an anti-corruption platform. He has also made diplomatic overtures to India, stressing the importance of having the Kashmir issue resolved via diplomatic negotiations, and he noted in The Times of India that "if they [India] take one step towards us, we will take two."
The question remains, will Khan make any diplomatic overtures toward the State of Israel, a very close ally of India?
Some claim that Khan is more of the same as far as Pakistani leaders are concerned. Though he is well-liked in the West, Khan has supported Pakistan's infamous blasphemy law, under which Christian Pakistani Asia Bibi was sentenced to death. Thanks largely to international pressure, she may not be executed, but she is serving her ninth year in prison with no end in sight. In addition, Khan has supported disenfranchising Ahmadi Muslims on account of their faith. As Khan stated, "I can say with full conviction that Ahmadis are not Muslim and we will stand by and protect Pakistan's 295-C [the section of Pakistan's penal code that mandates the death penalty for blasphemy]." In addition, on Twitter, Khan condemned U.S. President Donald Trump for moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and has referenced "Israel's continued oppression of the Palestinians." On the other hand, many Muslim leaders make similar statements and still do business with Israel, either openly or secretly.
Shipan Kumer Basu, president of the World Hindu Struggle Committee, stated: "Pakistani governments always supported ISIS and the Taliban. Peace lovers around the world should always keep their eyes on Pakistan. At the same time, there is reason to believe that change is possible. I hope that the Imran Khan government will ensure the security of the minority Hindu, Buddhist and Christian communities of Pakistan. I also express the hope that the newly established government of Pakistan will establish regional harmony and bilateral relations among the peoples of all religions in the Indian subcontinent and the entire world."
There is reason to be hopeful. Khan has frequently been a victim of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories due to the fact that one of his ex-wives, Jemima Goldsmith, with whom Khan has two children, is of Jewish descent. Another ex-wife, Reham Khan, wrote in her memoir that Khan shared close ties with Zionists, noting his proximity to Kate Rothschild Goldsmith, Jemima's sister-in-law, a relative of the Zionist leader Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild.
In fact, Pakistani dissident Noor Dahri also noted that Khan campaigned for Jemima's brother Zac Goldsmith when he ran for mayor of London against Sadiq Khan, who is of Pakistani heritage. According to various Pakistani media outlets, Goldsmith also received the support of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and is a "known Zionist who supports Israel" but this did not stop Khan from raising funds for him, donating 5,000 British pounds (about $6,500) to his campaign and asking others to vote for him as well. Khan's connections to Jemima have cost him a lot politically, with a politician calling him an "agent of the Jewish lobby," a rival writing of his "Jewish financing," and former Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif stressing: "Khan's relations with the Jewish lobby are no secret."
While all of this may sound endearing to Israelis, one should be cautious before jumping to the conclusion that Khan's election will be good for Israel. According to Dahri, because of Khan's past ties to a British woman of Jewish ancestry and other Jews abroad, Khan has had to embrace Islamists in order to be a viable candidate in Pakistan and is unlikely to establish diplomatic relations with Israel: "He has many religious people in his party. For three years, he supported the Taliban and said there should be political relations with them. He doesn't want to take dangerous risks with ruining relations with them as well. He is not Taliban himself but before this election, he ruled in an area where Taliban was strong so he does not want to take a strong risk. This is why he supports the Taliban as a peaceful element. He wants to sit with them in order to make peace with them and to talk with them."
"Now, he is in the government," Dahri added. "He doesn't want to take a risk openly by making relations with Israel. He is no idiot. He wants to run the country for five years and after that. If he takes a stance for Israel, he will be in trouble. It is true that he wants to make relations with every country. But, it is not easy for him because religious organizations are strong in Pakistan. These organizations are in his province and would not let him do any relationship with Israel. I do not think he will take a political risk to start a relationship. He would not take a brave stance like [then-President Pervez] Musharraf did in 2005. He has no issues, whether economic or high-tech, with Israel or any other country. But he will not take a risk openly with Israel but with USA, India, Europe and China, he will go for them openly for there is only three months of money in Pakistan. After that, the economy will collapse. People trust him in the world and they will bring him the money."
Dahri noted also that Khan had personal reasons for not initiating relations with Israel: "His new wife is very hard core religious. She wears niqab. In his house, there is a strong religious element. Now that matters a lot for he is an elected prime minister. He has no choice. That is why he reached out to the Taliban. He gets along with Israelis and Jews in the U.K. He has no problem with Jews or Israelis. He supports relations with Israel but does not want a political suicide. No one will commit suicide. However, he will be open to secret relations with Israel like the Saudis. If the Saudis are working closely with Israel in secret, why not him? He has very good family relations, political relations and public relations with American, British and Israeli Jews. He will do that but secretly. He won't do anything openly. There are already secret relations between Israel and Pakistan, so he will enhance that."
