President Donald Trump's push for Islamic countries to improve ties with Israel has rubbed Pakistan the wrong way, triggering a rare event of a no in response to its friend United States.
US-Israel ties seem strongest at present with Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharing both handshakes and target lists — most recently, Iran.
Pakistan, a friend of the US, reportedly gave a rare negative response with its defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif saying that joining the Abraham Accords would be against Islamabad's "fundamental ideologies".
The Abraham Accords aim to normalise Israel with its neighbours, seeking recognition of Israel by Islamic countries neighbouring it.
However, if Islamabad eventually agrees to join the Abraham Accords and recognise Israel, it could also be forced to revisit one of the most symbolic markers of its foreign policy - its passport.
Pakistani passports currently carry a clause explicitly stating they are "valid for all countries of the world except Israel", reflecting Islamabad's decades-old refusal to formally recognise the Jewish state.
Any move towards the accords would likely require that restriction to be removed, marking a major ideological and diplomatic shift for the country.
