The Foreign Office on Saturday rejected India's objection to decision by Palestinian ambassador Walid Abu Ali to share the stage at a rally in Rawalpindi on Friday with Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, The ambassador was recalled by the Palestinian government following a strong protest by the Indian government against the move.
A statement issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had recalled Ambassador Abu Ali from Pakistan on the instruction of President Mahmoud Abbas. At a briefing on the subject, Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said "the people and government of Pakistan respect the Palestinian ambassador's active participation in events organized to express solidarity with the people of Palestine."
The spokesman rejected the Indian position, saying that "contrary to the impression being created (by India), 'the UN proscription does not place any restrictions on freedom of expression." He said "Pakistan's unequivocal position (on Palestine) was demonstrated in its rejection of the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," and that since Washington's decision on the Holy City a number of public rallies had taken place in the country.
He went on to explain that Ambassador Abu Ali had already participated in many events since the US decision, and Friday's rally was only another one of the protests. The rally had been attended by thousands of Pakistanis from all walks of life, the spokesman said, and Hariz Saeed was just one of the more than fifty speakers addressing it.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.