In global geopolitics, there is a saying that if you cannot defend your land, then you can’t become its owner. The case of the United States and Australia is in front of us. Similarly, Israel emerged as a separate nation on the map by forcefully occupying the land of Palestinians and committing numerous atrocities. It is for this reason that many countries such as Pakistan have never recognized Israel.
The denial of Israel’s existence by Pakistan – the sole nuclear power in the Muslim world – had given Arab countries the impression that Pakistan will defend them. With regards to UAE, the Gulf Arab state has been discreetly developing economic and trade ties with Israel for past several years.
The UAE has also maintained cordial relations with China – which been unleashed atrocities on Uighur Muslims – and against India which is involved in blatant violations in Kashmir. Just to protect their narrow vested interests, the UAE inflicted massive damage on the Muslim Ummah.
The UAE and Israel had already set up diplomatic relations, now a mere formal announcement is to be made. All eyes were set on the official response from the government of Pakistan and how it would react to the development. Rather than getting their government’s point of view, the media turned towards JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman for not commenting against Israel. These journalists who have shown bias by supporting the PTI are reluctant in getting a statement from the ruling party.
The JUI-F chief has a clear stance over Israel and has never accepted the recognition of the Jewish state. Yet, social media and mainstream media has turned its guns toward him. On 15th August, the JUI-F chief has stated they will never accept Israel. The criticism towards the JUI-F chief for not commenting against Israel is completely unwarranted and uncalled for.
This has raised questions about the silence of the religious parties and Islamic scholars over the UAE-Israel peace deal. The media has also sidelined the announcement by Jamaat-e-Islami chief Siraj-ul-Haq to hold a long march against the recognition of Israel. This has been trending worldwide with the hashtag ‘Pakistan stands with Palestine’ which sent a positive message regarding Pakistan.
The government has issued an ambiguous statement regarding UAE-Israel ties. After several days in an interview, the prime minister said we will never recognise Israel, which sent a sense of relief among the people. The role of the media has been disappointing as it failed to raise awareness in sending a message from political leaders and instead went on an onslaught against religious personalities.
The government should issue a clarification over the UAE-Israel deal and the media should present it in front of the people. The media should stop speculations and creating unrest among the people. If the government issues a vivid statement and media fulfills its ethical responsibilities, then many of the problems will be resolved.
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