Pakistan Christians demand right to visit Israel

[tarrar]

They will have to read the rules & regulation properly before signing for Pakistan Passport & it is clearly mentioned in our passport "This passport is valid for all the countries in the world except Israel". They have no choice but to accept this.

 

[Leader]

anyone can visit Israel from Pakistan, getting entry stamp.

 

[rockstarIN]

How does Arabs with Isral citizenship do Hajj? Are they allowed @500

 

[PakPrinciples]

A Pakistani Christian group called on their government Sunday to allow Christians to go on pilgrimage to religious sites in Israel.

Under Israeli law, Pakistan is a designated an enemy state and Israeli citizens may not visit there without a special permit issued by the Israeli Interior Ministry.

Why would we?

Israel is an enemy state built on occupied Palestinian lands, a frequent violator of UN resolutions and international law and has in the past conspired to attack Pakistan not to mention is an ally of India supplying them with the means to kill Pakistani citizens.

It's a very legitimate demand.
Denying Christians their right to visit Jerusalem is like barring Muslims their entry into Mecca.

“When Muslims can freely go to Mecca and Medina for pilgrimage, why can’t we exercise our religious obligations guaranteed by the constitution of Pakistan,” he said.

It's nothing like the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina considering that going on Hajj if able is one of the five pillars of faith.

At best this is religious tourism.

Denying them their right will show regressive attitude of islamic state of pakistan.

We allow religious freedom but there is no obligation for them to go to Israel. This is nothing more than religious tourism.

Our policy on Israel is what it is take it or leave it. However, Israel can make their own judgments on whether to let these people in.

We do not recognize Israel and its occupation nor will we accept their flagrant violation of UN resolutions and international law. We've made this clear at the UN. It's up to Israel to change its attitude and behavior, particularly towards the Palestinian people, if it wants relations with Pakistan.

Before lecturing us please deal with the regressive attitude of France which prevents Muslims, Jews, Christians, etc... students from exercising their religious faith in public schools. They are a member of NATO and one of your allies.

What about getting Israel to move back to the 1948 borders considering how much sway you have over them?

Pakistan being hostile towards Israel only benefits India as it bars Pakistan from getting cutting edge Israeli technology.

What cutting edge technology do they have which we can't source elsewhere or get/make something comparable of?

Don't worry, we've learned to live without them.

 

[Lord ZeN]

It's nothing like the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina considering that going on Hajj if able is one of the five pillars of faith.
At best this is religious tourism.

Yeah right .. What a double standard. You have one set of rules for Muslims and another set of rules for Christians. How would you feel if Canada bars everyone including Muslims from entering KSA by saying that it is an extremist country? And Jerusalem being the birth place of Jesus Christ is the holiest place for any Christian not some tourist destination.

What cutting edge technology do they have which we can't source elsewhere or get/make something comparable of?
Don't worry, we've learned to live without them.

Almost in every field from defense to agriculture.

 

[Sheikh Rauf]

Christians sud support independ palastenian state so then they can go.. its holy for muslims as well as christians.. matter fact muslims first and second highest holliest place is masjid e aksa we wants to go there as well but right now we supporting Pakistani Gov desicion not to have relations with Israel.

 

[Spring Onion]

It's a very legitimate demand.
Denying Christians their right to visit Jerusalem is like barring Muslims their entry into Mecca.

we dont have diplomatic ties with Israel hence we cant issue visa. Even Pakistani Muslims cant visit it its not specific to Christians.

 

[Lord ZeN]

we dont have diplomatic ties with Israel hence we cant issue visa. Even Pakistani Muslims cant visit it its not specific to Christians.

I know

 

[Spring Onion]

Pakistan Christians demand right to visit Israel
Protesters say they are being denied right to go on pilgrimage

God’s Peoples Fellowship of Pakistan activists protest outside the Pakistan Press Club on Sunday (Credit: ucanews.com)

A Pakistani Christian group called on their government Sunday to allow Christians to go on pilgrimage to religious sites in Israel.

There are no formal diplomatic ties between the two countries and Pakistan forbids its citizens from going to the Holy Land.

All Pakistani passports state, “This passport is valid for all countries of the world except Israel”.

Under Israeli law, Pakistan is a designated an enemy state and Israeli citizens may not visit there without a special permit issued by the Israeli Interior Ministry.

God’s Peoples Fellowship of Pakistan (GPFP), a Karachi-based Christian organization, which seeks diplomatic ties with Israel, staged a protest on Sunday outside the Karachi press club to demand the lifting of the travel ban on Christian Pakistanis to Israel.

“People of different religions particularly Sikhs of India come to Pakistan every year to perform their religious obligations despite the fact the two countries have fought three wars,” Ashraf P Butt, Secretary-General of the GPFP, said.

“Since Pakistan doesn’t recognize the state of Israel and does not maintain any diplomatic ties, the Christian community in Pakistan has been deprived of their legitimate religious rights,” he told ucanews.com.

“In light of the Bilateral Protocol Agreement signed between India and Pakistan in 1974, granting permission to visit religious shrines and sites, the GPFP also demands the same arrangements for Christians,” he said.

He criticized the Supreme Court for dismissing a GPFP petition seeking a lifting of the ban out of hand.

“We deem Bethlehem, Jerusalem, the holy city of King David, the Skull place where Jesus Christ was crucified, Nazareth, Galilee and other such places sacred,” Butt said.

Pervaiz Khan, a pastor, said Christians are only asking for the rights to visit holy places in Israel.

“When Muslims can freely go to Mecca and Medina for pilgrimage, why can’t we exercise our religious obligations guaranteed by the constitution of Pakistan,” he said.

Strange protest from strange protesters something must be behind it.

Anyway it is time Pakistan and Israel should have diplomatic relations. In my personal opinion this will be one of the steps for stability in ME and could improve image of Israel as well though Pakistan would be under the knife but in the long run it would be good for both. Still this is my personal opinion and you guys can differ

I know

Then dont try to portray it as minority issue. For Muslims al-Quds is equally sacred

 

[Indian Patriot]

Anyway it is time Pakistan and Israel should have diplomatic relations. In my personal opinion this will be one of the steps for stability in ME and could improve image of Israel as well though Pakistan would be under the knife but in the long run it would be good for both. Still this is my personal opinion and you guys can differ

And India would hope Israel remains taboo for you guys.

 

[Lord ZeN]

Then dont try to portray it as minority issue. For Muslims al-Quds is equally sacred

It essentially is, as Jerusalem is the holiest place for Christians just as Mecca and Medina is for Muslims. And it's their basic right to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. And i expect you to know that all the holy Muslim mosques/places in Israel can't be compared to Mecca and Medina as it has the most religious significance for Muslims. Same is the case for conservative Christians as they give same amount of significance for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem as Muslims would give to Haj.

 

[Spring Onion]

And India would hope Israel remains taboo for you guys.

Indeed India would never want that Pakistan and Israel come closer. But the realistic approach is that Israel and Pakistan in general and some powers in particular will be benefited if these two come close.

 

[DV RULES]

Legitimate demand & christian community should be exempted from traveling bars to Israel.

Only because of Palestine we shouldn't keep ourselves away from new diplomatic relations just like in Armenian case, Pakistan's foreign policy is nothing but pathetic sort of thinking.

Ironical that we got too emotional in 3rd countries affairs but willing to make good relation to country next to our doors an example of barbarism & inhumanity.

Lets be more pragmatic, scrap this Ummah responsibility, Islamic world responsibility and maintain good diplomatic ties without any religious prejudices.

 

[Cheetah786]

For that we need to recognize Israel as a legitimate state and we would have to establish diplomatic relation with Israel which as we all know is impossible

Why is it impossible ?

They will have to read the rules & regulation properly before signing for Pakistan Passport & it is clearly mentioned in our passport "This passport is valid for all the countries in the world except Israel". They have no choice but to accept this.

Wording in passports can be changed, Pakistani Christians have every right to travel any where in the world just like Pakistani Muslims do.

Not recognizing state of Israel to please Arabs, dumbest move ever because they (Arabs) have full diplomatic relations with Israel.

 

[SBD-3]

They will have to read the rules & regulation properly before signing for Pakistan Passport & it is clearly mentioned in our passport "This passport is valid for all the countries in the world except Israel". They have no choice but to accept this.

They were born with a Pakistani passport.....grabbing some commonsense.
@Topic It's not a bad Idea to establish diplomatic relationships with Israel. Pakistan did nothing good to herself by self-declaring Israel as an enemy. Close ties between Israel and India draw a lot out of this foolie of Pakistan.