ISLAMABAD: Palestine denied reports that its former ambassador to Pakistan was reinstated. Walid Abu Ali was recalled in December for attending a rally where he shared the stage with alleged 2008 Mumbai attacks mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed.
“We deny this information,” the Foreign Ministry told ANI. “Our ambassador in Pakistan, he is in Palestine and our position was declared by our official statement which we have published last week. We don’t know where you got this information about [the] Palestine ambassador to Pakistan being reinstated. As per our knowledge, he is very much in Palestine as of now.”
Palestine’s Ambassador to India Abu Alhaijaa also refuted reports that Ali was reinstated. “Walid Abu Ali is still in Palestine and there is no change in the decision,” he told ANI.
Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan Ulema Council Chairperson Maulana Tahir Ashrafi was quoted by Geo News as saying that he had asked Palestine to reinstate Ali. Ashrafi claimed the envoy would be back on duty in Pakistan on Wednesday.
On December 30, the Palestinian government had decided to recall Walid Abu Ali from his post as ambassador to Pakistan for sharing the dais with Saeed.