LAHORE - A background check has been launched, starting from Amman (Jordan) down to Lahore, to get the answers to the questions that how an Israeli-Arab lecturer, Ramzi Suleiman’s visit to Pakistan has gone unnoticed.
Ramzi, who received most of his higher education and PhD degree from Israel and taught in two of major Israeli universities of Tel Aviv and Haifa and held key positions in civil society organisations, accepts Palestinians as minority in the de-facto state of Israel. He took part in a scientific conference unnoticed last month at Punjab University. His visit became public as the result of Israeli newspaper Haaretz’s news story published in the first week of this month.
Well-placed sources in the security establishment privy to the developments told The Nation on Tuesday that background investigations had been put in action, starting from Amman (Jordan) passing from Islamabad down to Lahore, to get the facts how the visit of a lecturer with thick background connected with a state regarded as enemy of Pakistan, went unnoticed.
“The security services’ operatives are digging the facts in this matter of ‘overlook or negligence’ to check the entry of the instructor, who is close to the Israel-based peace groups and think-tanks,” the sources said. The inquiry would dig deep how he got visa in the first place without thorough field clearance of his host, and even after succeeding in reaching a scientific conference at Punjab University why he was ignored or gone unnoticed by the security sleuths, the sources added.
The inquiry would also look into the possibilities of Ramzi’s references at the university and the information about the nature of his invitation from the host.
The sources further informed that inquiry would also look into the possibilities that a person of Ramzi’s background was overlooked by the authorities concerned at Pakistani mission in Amman (Jordan), where he submitted his documents for getting visa or gone unnoticed during his clearance at Islamabad through the security sections at Lahore, the place of the event.
When contacted Punjab University Mathematics Department head, Dr Muhammad Sharif, who organised the scientific moot last month, he said: “We have no information about Ramzi Suleiman’s Israeli leanings and background as he mentioned only his Palestinian background.” However, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz which broke the story of Ramzi’s university visit claimed quoted the lecturer as saying that he did not hide his position as a researcher and lecturer at the University of Haifa.
Dr Sharif added, “We extended invitation to Ramzi Suleiman but he was not our guest or key speaker but one of the contributor speakers, while the contributor speakers submit their letter seeking invitation through an open website and the university extends invitation after checking their abstract and track record on the subject on which a debate to be initiated.”
“It is not our responsibility and skill to confirm the background of the visiting guests before extending invitations but of the foreign office, the embassy concerned or the security services deputed for clearance of the guests,” he maintained.
“More than eight Indian researchers on the issue have been denied visa to participate in the scientific moot but why Ramzi got the visa if he had a grey background. It is the task of the security departments to allow or deny entry into Pakistan,” he continued.
Tasneem Noorani, a former interior secretary, said that Ramzi might be overlooked because of his Palestinian origin but an inquiry should be launched to check this negligence.
A brief of Ramzi Suleiman tells that he studied at the Department of Psychology, the University of Haifa (Israel), and received MA degree in clinical psychology (thesis: Structure of National and Civil Identity of Educated Arabs in Israel) and PhD degree.
Ramzi also studied at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, where he received MSc degree. He taught at the Department of Psychology at Tel-Aviv University, and the Departments of Psychology and Economics and the School of Political Science at the University of Haifa.
Ramzi played leading roles in NGOs, participation in conferences, and teaching advanced courses on Jewish-Arab relations. He also served as the President of the Galilee Center for Social Research (Israel).
He was also one of the initiators and directors of the Haifa declaration, a collaboration comprised of a large group of Palestinian intellectuals, academics, and social activists, who issued a social-political statement, pertaining to the past, present and vision of the Palestinians as minority in Israel.