India today strongly raised with Palestine the issue of its ambassador in Pakistan attending a rally organised by Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
The Ministry of External Affairs said that New Delhi conveyed to Palestine that its ambassador attending JuD’s event is ‘unacceptable’.
"The concerns were conveyed both in New Delhi to the Palestinian Ambassador and in Ramallah to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, State of Palestine," the MEA said in a release.
It 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. It was also conveyed that Palestine highly values its relationship with India and stands with us in the war against terrorism, and will not engage with those who commit acts of terror against India," it said.
The government takes note of the assurances given by the Palestine side, it said.
Yesterday, the MEA had said that it has taken cognizance of the reports and photographs showing Palestinian ambassador in Islamabad Walid Abu Ali attending an event organised by the JuD.
According to reports, Walid Abu Ali had recently attended a large rally organised by the Difa-e-Pakistan Council in Rawalpindi. Difa-e-Pakistan (Defence of Pakistan) Council (DPC) is an alliance of Islamist groups in Pakistan, including Saeed's outfit.
The presence of the Palestinian envoy at JuD’s event was seen as a setback for India because New Delhi had last week voted for a UNGA resolution against the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
The stand taken by India at the UNGA carried the risk of irking US President Donald Trump who had threatened countries voting against his decision.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Palestine in February next year. The visit may take place around the World Government Summit in UAE, where India has been invited as a guest country. PM Modi is scheduled to be in UAE for the meet scheduled for February 11-13.
