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Recently, we know, A Jewish Pakistani applied for permission to travel to Israel almost three months ago. A local newspaper has cited a source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) while stating that Fishel had applied for the permission on October 28 via the ministry app. A background check was done when the request moved to the Sindh chief secretary, given Fishel is based in Karachi. Fishel Benkhald has now finally received a response from the Foreign Office, telling him that he can visit Jerusalem on a Pakistani passport.
In his tweet he wrote,
Dear @ImranKhanPTI on 2-Jan Ministry of Foreign Affairs called to informing that I can visit Jerusalem Isreal on Pakistani passport
Im applying visa from Isreali embassy.
Thank u Dr Faisal @ForeignOfficePk @DrMFaisal@fawadchaudhry @BBhuttoZardari @OfficialDGISPR @peaceforchange pic.twitter.com/WookDyRlU6— Fishel Benkhald (@Jew_Pakistani) January 23, 2019
He tweeted, “Dear @ImranKhanPTI on 2-Jan Ministry of Foreign Affairs called to inform that I can visit Jerusalem Isreal on Pakistani passport I’m applying for visa from Isreali embassy. Thank u Dr. Faisal @ForeignOfficePk @DrMFaisal @fawadchaudhry @BBhuttoZardari @OfficialDGISPR @peaceforchange
Fishel has been quite active on social media. He appealed the authorities to grant him the freedom of religion by allowing him to visit holy places in Israel. The foreign media has also interviewed him in this regard. His first article on a Pakistani paper got published in July 2018, bearing the title, “I’m Jewish and a Pakistani… let me go to Israel.”
Now Fishel has been issued a fresh passport by the Pakistani authorities, which has mentioned his religion as ‘Judaism’, BBC Urdu reported. According to the report, Khalid was in contact with NADRA since 2016 to get himself registered as a Jew and after a long time his claim was admitted by the government and is now officially given a Jewish Pakistani Passport.
Speaking to BBC, he said:
“Although I was registered as a Muslim at birth, I told NADRA that I am not a practicing Muslim and provided them all the details and documents they asked for in order to cross-check my information.”
He also told BBC that he has requested Prime Minister Imran Khan since last October through ‘Pakistan Citizen Portal’ that he wanted to go Israel on his passport and now has finally given the permission to, officially. Fishel will be the first person (that people know of) allowed to travel to Israel on official Pakistani documents.
Pakistanis were congratulating him as this is a big thing for him and also a great progress Pakistan has made!
Previously, in an interview, Benkhald claimed that he was born to a Muslim father and a Jewish mother. He also mentioned that his mother and father had met in Karachi and had a love marriage. He also claimed that his maternal grandparents were Jews. “My father was a secular Muslim and he had no objection to my mother’s faith. My mother never practiced Islam; however, she was registered as a Muslim. In her heart, she was always a Jew. She taught me many things about Judaism.”
We can totally see the new tabdeelis!
