Palestine recalls envoy who shared stage with Hafiz Saeed

NEW DELHI: The Palestine Authority has decided to recall its envoy from Islamabad in the face of India’s strong protest over the presence of the Palestine ambassador to Pakistan in the company of Mumbai attack mastermind and global terrorist Hafiz Saeed in Rawalpindi.A day after India’s demarche, Palestine ambassador Adnan Abu Al Haija told TOI, “Our ambassador in Pakistan has committed a fault, knowingly or otherwise. He is being recalled to Ramallah. He will no longer be Palestine ambassador to Pakistan. Relations with India are very important for us.”Al Haija was called in by Vijay Gokhale, a senior diplomat in the ministry of external affairs, to express India’s concerns after Palestinian envoy in Pakistan Waleed Abu Ali was seen with Saeed, who heads terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba , and was recently released from detention. “We stand together with India in its fight against terrorism,” Al Haija said. “It is a historical relationship and we are working to strengthen it.”The widely circulated picture of Abu Ali sharing a stage with Saeed in Rawalpindi, which also houses the headquarters of the Lashkar boss’s mentor the Pakistan Army , led to strong outrage in official circles, coming as it does close on the heels of India going against the US in a vote in the UN on the American decision to support Israel’s move to declare Jerusalem its capital. India is also implementing projects such as the development of information technology and electronics in the PA.In a statement, the PA said, “On the basis of the principled and firm Palestinian position, the ministry of foreign affairs and expatriates considered the participation of our ambassador in Pakistan 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. Accordingly, the ministry, under the direct instructions of the President of the State of Palestine, has (decided) to recall the Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan immediately.”Describing the action of Abu Ali as “unacceptable”, the MEA said India’s concerns “were conveyed both in New Delhi to the Palestinian ambassador and in Ramallah to the minister of foreign affairs and expatriates”. In a statement, the MEA said the Palestinian side has conveyed “deep regrets” over the incident and assured India that they are taking serious cognisance of their ambassador's presence at this event. “They have said they will deal with this matter appropriately.”Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to Palestine in the coming months. “I cannot disclose the exact date, but I can confirm that Mr Modi will travel to Palestine,” Al Haija said. The visit would follow the government’s decision to de-hyphenate the two relationships (with Israel and Palestine) with a visit to either not necessitating a halt in the neighbouring state. The Indian government said they had been assured by Palestine that they would not “engage with those who commit acts of terror against India”.Pictures of Abu Ali circulated on social media after he reportedly attended the rally organized by the Difah-e-Pakistan Council in Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi. Difah-e-Pakistan Council is an umbrella group of 40 religious and extremist groups in Pakistan, headed by Saeed who is named a global terrorist by the UN and is accused of the 26/11 attacks. Saeed used the rally to call for an “Islamic summit” to defend Jerusalem from Israel.India, like 127 other countries, voted in the UN on the principle that the status of Jerusalem would be decided after a deal between Israel and Palestine. India’s vote was seen to be against Israel, a close friend of India as well as US, its strategic partner.Palestine, however, has consistently voted against India on the J&K issue- both in the UN and in OIC— for years, while criticising India’s growing relationship with Israel.