Palestine recalls envoy sharing stage with Hafiz Saeed after India's protest

Palestine has decided to recall its ambassador to Pakistan, Walid Abu Ali, for sharing a stage with Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan, Palestinian envoy to India Adnan Abu Al Haija said on Saturday.

"The Palestine government has told Ali that he was not anymore its envoy to Pakistan," Haija told PTI.

The top envoy said that Ali has been given couple of days to pack and return from Islamabad.

"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 Pakistan anymore," Haija told ANI.

Earlier in the day, Palestine expressed regret after India strongly condemned the Palestinian envoy's presence at a rally organised by Saeed in Pakistan's Rawalpindi on Friday.

Following India's strongly-worded views, 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".

The envoy's presence at Hafiz Saeed's rally came 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.

OneIndia News