It’s really too bad that the controversy over President Musharraf’s disgraceful remarks threatens to overshadow a real achievement of his trip: his address to the American Jewish Congress. Reports ynet news:

History in New York: Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf participated Saturday night in a festive dinner hosted in his honor by the World Jewish Congress in New York.

Musharraf was greeted by a standing ovation by hundreds of U.S. Jewish leaders, who gathered to congratulate the Pakistani leader for opening public diplomatic contacts with Israel following the disengagement from Gaza and the northern West Bank.

Musharraf was clearly moved by the reception, saying he “never expected a Pakistani leader to be greeted by this community with this sort of ovation.” [link]

I’ve written before about the inanity in Pakistan-Israel relations (or lack thereof), as well as the Istanbul foreign ministers’ meet and the handshake. President Musharraf’s address is yet another small step towards a sane and realistic foreign policy for Pakistan: one governed by pragmatism and self-interest rather than emotionalism and the dated notion of pan-Islamism.

How far is Pakistan from formally recognizing Israel?

Said the President:

What better signal for peace could there be than the opening of embassies in Israel by Islamic countries like Pakistan? [link]

Indeed, what better signal could there be? Perhaps if Pakistani Jews were invited to return.

President Musharraf told a Pakistani-American Jew, Mr Kazmir, who wanted to know if he [Mr Kazmir] could return to Pakistan, that he could visit his homeland whenever he wanted, “even now”. [link]