Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom are to receive the Pakistani delegation of retired generals, religious leaders, politicians and business people, radio said, though there was no official confirmation.

Relations between the second most populous Muslim country and the Jewish state were hostile for decades, but began to warm up after Israel offered aid to Pakistan following this month's devastating earthquake.

Pakistan accepted Israel's offer, in a sign that the sole Muslim nuclear power was cautiously warming to better ties with Israel.

Prior to the earthquake, in a highly publicized sign of cordiality, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Sharon shook hands on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in mid-September.

Two weeks earlier, the two countries' foreign ministers met in Istanbul in the first-ever high level encounter which aimed to help normalize bilateral relations.

Pakistan had "decided to engage with Israel," its foreign minister said then, because Israel's pullout of settlers and troops from the Gaza Strip constituted a turning point for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Israel currently has full diplomatic relations with only three Arab states -- Mauritania, Egypt and Jordan -- and a handful of Muslim majority states including Turkey.