At the World Travel Market in London earlier this month, a brief but significant moment captured global attention: Michael Izhakov, the Director-General of Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, walked into the Pakistan pavilion and shook hands with Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, Adviser and National Coordinator on Tourism to the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The video of the greeting went viral and immediately raised questions about Islamabad’s policy consistency and its underlying strategic realignments.
A diplomatic norm breaker
Pakistan officially does not recognise the State of Israel and prohibits its citizens from visiting Israel. The encounter thus stands out as irregular and potentially indicative of a shift, intentional or accidental, in Pakistan’s posture. Pakistan’s Foreign Office stated that if the handshake occurred “it was without authorisation, certainly without information to us and certainly without authorisation by the government.”
This explanation, however, does little to assuage concerns around credibility and strategy.
Context matters: Israel, Gaza, and Pakistan’s Middle East role
The incident takes on added weight amid reports that Pakistan may be considered for the United Nations Security Council-backed International Stabilisation Force for Gaza, a move embedded in the broader Donald Trump-led West Asia strategy. Pakistan’s possible involvement in such a force would mark a dramatic departure from its longstanding mutual non-recognition with Israel and its proclaimed support for the Palestinian cause.
Why India must watch closely
For India, Pakistan’s apparent diplomatic ambivalence poses multiple risks. Firstly, any shift by Islamabad toward Israel, formal or informal, could recalibrate alliances in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region, where Pakistan has traditionally positioned itself in contrast to India’s own engagement with Israel.
Secondly, Pakistan’s involvement in the Gaza stabilisation framework could draw resources, influence and military presence toward Washington’s regional vision, one that at times overlaps with Indian strategic concerns, particularly vis-à-vis Iran, Afghanistan and China. Thirdly, the handshake underscores a broader challenge: Pakistan’s foreign policy practices may no longer align neatly with its stated public positions, making it harder for neighbours and partners to rely on Islamabad’s declarations.
Contradiction between public stance and private signals
Pakistan maintains it is firmly aligned with the Palestinian cause and rejects recognition of Israel. Yet the London pavilion incident and the reported secret travel of some Pakistanis to Israel this year show a mismatch between official posture and discreet engagement. Pakistan reiterated that the meeting was unauthorised and stressed that it remains engaged with Jordan and other states on Palestine issues, adding that no decision has been taken on its participation in the Gaza mission.
Strategic ambiguity or quiet realignment?
Whether this incident reflects a moment of confusion or the first sign of a quiet re-orientation, it signals that Pakistan’s diplomatic deck is not being played openly. For India, which shares a complex, adversarial and strategic relationship with Pakistan, this ambiguity means heightened caution is required. Islamabad’s moves bear regional implications—on Pakistan’s relations with Washington, its role in West Asia peace architectures, and more directly, on India’s own Israel and Middle East policy.
In sum, the London handshake may appear politically innocuous, but it speaks to far deeper fault-lines in Pakistan’s foreign policy. At a time when the Middle East is being rewired and South Asia remains a theatre of newer strategic alignments, India must treat such signals not as mere protocol breaches but as potential harbingers of change.
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