Why Pakistan accepting Trump's 'Abraham Accords' will change its passport
What's the story
Every Pakistani passport has a printed restriction on travel to Israel. The line reads, "This passport is valid for all countries of the world except Israel." It acts as both a practical travel restriction and a powerful symbol of Pakistan's long-standing foreign policy of not recognizing Israel, a position it has held since its independence in 1947. But this could soon change.
Diplomatic push
Trump calls for Pakistan to join Abraham Accords
US President Donald Trump has called on several countries, including Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accords after the Iran war ends. The accords are a US-brokered framework under which several Arab nations normalized ties with Israel starting in 2020. He called participation "mandatory" for any future regional arrangement involving Iran. "After all the work done by the US to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all...these Countries...sign onto the Abraham Accords," Trump posted.
Pakistan
Passport changes if Israel is recognized
If Pakistan recognizes Israel, authorities may have to reprint all passports or modify existing ones. This could involve issuing a new passport design, adding endorsements or stamps on current passports, or phasing out old ones during renewals. Since passports are machine-readable and internationally standardized documents linked to immigration databases, the most straightforward solution would be to print new ones entirely.
Rejection stance
Pakistan firmly rejects Trump's call
Pakistan's government has firmly rejected Trump's call for normalization with Israel. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif questioned Israel's reliability as a partner, asking how they could trust those whose word cannot be trusted even for a single day. "Personally, I don't think we should join any such accord that clashes with our fundamental ideologies. How will you sit down with those people whose word cannot be trusted even for a single day?" he said, referring to Israel.
Policy shift
Bangladesh's travel restriction on Israel
Bangladesh had a similar travel restriction on Israel in its passports for decades. In 2021, the government removed the clause from newly issued e-passports to conform with international formatting standards. However, this decision faced public backlash and speculation about a shift in Bangladesh's position toward Israel. After the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, Bangladesh reversed the decision and reinstated the "except Israel" declaration in all passports. Passports issued by Malaysia and Libya also have similar footnotes.
Accords explained
About the Abraham Accords
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were the first Arab states to sign the accords in 2020 during Trump's first term, with Morocco, Sudan, and Kazakhstan following suit. Trump claimed these countries experienced a "Financial, Economic, and Social BOOM" after signing but provided no details. "Abraham Accords have been great for them, and will be even better for everybody, and bring true Power, Strength, and Peace to the Middle East for the first time in 5,000 years," he added.