ISLAMABAD: Five Pakistanis are currently under investigation for traveling to Israel using Pakistani passports. They have revealed during the investigation that they have relatives residing in Israel. During the investigation, the individuals disclosed that they concealed their religious identity during their stay in Israel for personal security reasons.
After noticing foreign remittances from Israel, which is an unusual destination as Pakistani passports cannot be used for travel to Israel, the State Bank of Pakistan made the arrests. They sent small amounts of remittances through Western Union and received them at a branch in Mirpurkhas.
According to an FIA official, a total of eight family members had traveled to Israel at different times. Some of them returned in 2021 and others in 2022. The FIR has not named three senior citizens from Pakistan, who are in poor health.
During the investigation, the authorities revealed that Rifqa, who migrated to Israel from Pakistan around 40 years ago, is the aunt of one of the arrested individuals. Rifqa’s father married a Jewish woman of Iranian origin after she converted to Islam. Rifqa has two brothers, Muhammad Anwar and Muhammad Aslam, and one sister named Sitara. All of them are Pakistani citizens who have traveled to Israel and are over the age of 65. Sitara’s husband, Abdul Majeed Siddiqui, and two sons, Noman Siddiqui and Kamran Siddiqui, have also visited Israel.
Ishaq Matat, believed to be Rifqa’s husband, facilitated the family’s travel arrangements. Anwar, one of the accused, stated that he paid Rs300,000 to Ishaq for logistical and travel assistance, as well as to find work in Tel Aviv. There is no evidence linking Ishaq Matat to the arrested individuals.
While staying in Israel, the arrested individuals concealed their religious identity. In their hometown, they had claimed to be in Switzerland during their absence. One of them is a Hafiz-e-Quran (someone who has memorized the Quran) and they are followers of the Barelvi sect. One of them runs a general store, while another owns a beauty parlor.
The investigation was initiated last month after the Financial Monitoring Unit of the State Bank of Pakistan detected remittances from Israel. Although the amount remitted was not significant (Rs2 million), it raised suspicion regarding the recipients and their activities in Israel. The FIA has filed an FIR against these individuals, as Pakistanis are not allowed to travel to Israel.
Pakistan has a small Jewish population, mostly concentrated in Sindh. It is believed that some Jews reside in Mirpurkhas and Umarkot. During the 2013 general elections, the authorities reported an enrollment of around 809 adult Jews as voters, which subsequently increased to 900 in 2017. Many members of the Jewish community in Pakistan choose to hide their religious identity due to security concerns. In 2019, the government permitted Fishel Khalid, the only openly declared Pakistani Jew, to travel to Israel, attracting attention to the Jewish community in Pakistan.
