Palestine expressed "deep regrets" for its envoy sharing the stage with Hafiz Saeed
Highlights
- India said Palestine envoy sharing stage with Saeed was "unacceptable"
- Palestine expressed "deep regrets"over incident, said centre
- Saeed, mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, is a marked global terrorist
Palestine recalled its ambassador to Pakistan
who had shared the stage with 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed after an angry India today told Palestinian authorities that its ambassador's association with the global terrorist was "unacceptable".
The ambassador's recall came hours after the Palestine, while conveying "deep regrets", assured India that they had taken "serious cognizance" of their envoy's presence at this event.
On Friday, Palestinian ambassador to Pakistan, Walid Abu Ali, stood with Hafiz Saeed at a rally called to condemn the US recognising Jerusalem, not Tel Aviv, as Israel's capital. The rally was called by Difa-e-Pakistan Council, a coalition of more than 40 radical Islamists parties. Hafiz Saeed is also a key leader of this coalition.
Riled at the Palestinian envoy lending credibility to Hafiz Saeed who had orchestrated numerous attacks on India and had a bounty on his head for his involvement in terrorist activities, New Delhi had, within hours of the rally, declared India would "strongly" convey India's views to the Palestinian Ambassador to India as well as the Foreign Minister in the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the central West Bank.
Following India's strongly-worded concerns, foreign ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said Palestine had reassured India that it "stands with us in the war against terrorism" and would not "engage with those who commit acts of terror against India".
Adnan Abu Al Haija, Palestinian ambassador to India said his counterpart in Pakistan did not know who Hafiz Saeed was, made his speech and left.
"We are supporting India in its fight against terrorism and because of that my Government decided to directly call our Ambassador to go back home," he said.
The swift action comes against the backdrop of discussions between the two countries for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Palestine, tentatively proposed early next year.
"PM Modi is a great guest to Palestine, we welcome him there. I hope soon he will visit Palestine, waiting for his visit," the Palestinian Ambassador to India told news agency ANI.
"We are supporting India in its fight against terrorism and because of that my Government decided to directly call our Ambassador to go back home," he said.
The envoy's presence at Hafiz Saeed's rally had come
just days after India, in sync with Palestinian sentiments, had voted in the United Nations General Assembly to oppose the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
India has historically supported the Palestinian cause, and its statements have always referred to East Jerusalem as being the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
Earlier this year, when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on India's support for an independent Palestinian state in a joint statement but did not mention East Jerusalem.