Islamabad, Jan 7: Palestine on Sunday refuted reports of reinstating Walid Abu Ali, ambassador to Pakistan who was recalled for sharing a dais with UN-designated terrorist and the mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack Hafiz Saeed. Palestine, in a statement, made it clear that its official position on the entire issue was made in its statement issued last week.
“We deny this information. Our ambassador in Pakistan is in Palestine and our position was declared by our official statement which we have published last week,” ANI quoted Palestine Foreign Ministry as saying.
Earlier, Pakistan based Geo News had reported that Palestinean Foreign Ministry has accepted the request of Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) to reinstate the envoy. Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, Chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council said the body requested the foreign minister and the chief justice to reinstate Ali “in view of the ambassador’s services rendered to Pakistan.” Pakistan based Geo News reported that ambassador will resume his duties on Wednesday.
Ali was recalled after India made objections to his participation in a programme, attended by Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, organised to oppose US President’s declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
India, in a statement, had said the meeting with international terrorist was unacceptable. Ministry of External Affairs said Palestine has regretted the meet. In a statement, MEA said that India conveyed to Palestine that “such meetings of its ambassador with terrorists is not acceptable”. The statement added that India expressed its unhappiness to Palestinian Ambassador and in Ramallah to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, State of Palestine.
Palestine’s Ambassador to India Adnan Abu Al Haija said that the ambassador did not meet Saeed personally. He had gone to Rawalpindi to attend the event which was organised to further the voices of Palestine’s people. “Our Ambassador doesn’t know this person.When he starts speaking, he asks who is this person?Our Ambassador’s speech was after him, he made his speech & left. For us, even with that, it is not accepted and a decision has been taken,” ANI quoted Hajia as saying.
Hajia emphasised that Palestine supports India in its fight against terrorism and Ali will be appointed again. “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, not to be Palestine ambassador to Pak anymore,” added Hajia.