Monday, July 7, 2003
Israpundit points to this Pakistani story about a group of seven Pakistani businessmen who quietly took a little trip into Israel recently. Their names are withheld, so one gets the feeling they might have some trouble if their identities were released, but, as Israpundit says, "the piece adds to the little waves created after Musharraf spoke a little while ago in favor of reconsidering Pakistan - Israel relations in the context of the roadmap."
This correspondent is still not very sure of their names. After reading the fine print of a recent piece by Ikram Sehgal, an entrepreneur-cum-opinion building columnist from Karachi, however, one is tempted to infer that he was included among those visitors.
Most of them had apparently went to Israel from Jordan after attending the much-hyped congregation of World Economic Forum (WEF), held from June 21 to 23 at Shounneh, a resort on the Dead Sea.
Eleven heads of state and 36 ministers from different countries interacted with top business executives, and movers and shakers of the global economy there. The UN secretary general and a former US president, Bill Clinton, addressed some of the WEF sessions.
Pakistan was represented by a delegation of minister-level finance managers, including Hafiz Sheikh, besides a select group of private sector entrepreneurs. Israel's presence was also high profile.
On a Pakistani passport, you can travel "all countries except Israel." Yet some people from this country have been occasionally slipping into that country in the name of visiting some historic sites, also considered "holy" by Muslims. A few would hunt for the business and trade prospects through third countries.[...]
That is a good observation. Indeed, there is a sense of menace hovering over that piece. Pakistan is that sort of a place these days.
What's sad is that although a visitor in another thread here: http://www.solomonia.com/blog/archives/000999.shtml insists the percentage of radicals is rather low overall, what's sad is that even a small percentage of very dangerous people can have a devastating effect on more moderate forces.
I agree. In this,it is not quantities that decide but intensity of activism, some deep psychological resonance(the group psych)and - ruthlessnes, lots of ruthlessnes in imposing "right path" on the passive majority.
I agree. In this,it is not quantities that decide but intensity of activism, some deep psychological resonance(the group psych)and - ruthlessnes, lots of ruthlessnes in imposing "right path" on the passive majority.