Palestine Recalls Envoy to Pakistan for Sharing Stage with Hafiz Saeed

Palestine recalled Walid Abu Ali, its envoy to Islamabad, after India expressed strong objection to his appearance in a public meeting along with Jamaat Ud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, who has been accused of being the mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

In a statement, the Palestinian foreign ministry said: “The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates under the direct instructions of the President of the State of Palestine to recall the Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan immediately.”

Clarifying the stand on Palestine in this issue, the statement said that the ambassador’s participation “in a mass rally in solidarity with Jerusalem, held in Rawalpindi on Friday and in the presence of individuals accused of supporting terrorism is an unintended mistake, but not justified.”

On Friday, the envoy Walid Abu Ali had attended a gathering in Rawalpindi to protest against the decision of US president Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The rally, Tahaffuz-i-Baitul Muqddas was hosted under the banner of Difa-i-Pakistan council, a grouping of Dozens of Islamist parties in support of the Palestinian cause. JuD was the leading party in the alliance.

While addressing the rally, the leaders hit out at India for its repressive actions to crush the uprisings in the Indian administered Kashmir.

“We consider it our prime responsibility to liberate Kashmir from India. We will free Kashmir in fulfilment of (Mohammad Ali) Jinnah’s dream,” the Dawn reported as Hafiz Saeed saying on that occasion.

Following the incident, the Indian external affairs ministry had issued a press release which read that India “strongly conveyed to the Palestinian side that the Palestinian ambassador in Pakistan’s association with terrorist Hafiz Saeed, who is proscribed by the United Nations, at an event in Rawalpindi on 29.12.2017, is unacceptable”

The ministry also conveyed its concerns over the issue to the Palestinian ambassador to India and also to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, State of Palestine.

“The Palestinian side has conveyed deep regrets over the incident and assured the Government of India that they are taking serious cognizance of their Ambassador's presence at this event,” stated the Ministry of External affairs while commenting on the response of Palestine.

The statement further appreciated India’s support in its tireless efforts ‘to end the Israeli occupation and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine’ on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Recently, India, along with 127 countries, had voted in favour of a resolution in UN General Assembly criticising US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.