India to register protest with Palestinian after envoy shares stage with Hafiz Saeed

Saeed, who was recently freed from house arrest, carries a bounty of USD 10 million and has been declared a global terrorist by the UN

New Delhi: Miffed with photos of Palestinian Ambassador sharing the dais with Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has decided to register the protest with Palestinian authorities.

“We have seen reports in this regard. We are taking up the matter strongly with the Palestinian Ambassador in New Delhi and with the Palestinian authorities,” said the MEA on Saturday.

Saeed, Jama'at-ud-Da'wah (JuD) chief and co-founder of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), was photographed with Palestinian envoy Walid Abu Ali, attending a rally organised by the Difa-e-Pakistan Council in Liaquat Bagh in Pakistani's Rawalpindi on Friday morning.

The images of the two sharing the stage went viral on social media

Saeed, who was freed from house arrest in November by a Pakistan court, carries a bounty of USD 10 million and has been declared a global terrorist by the United Nations. 

Since his release, Saeed has made several anti-India and anti-US statements at various rallies across Pakistan, invoking Khulbhushan Jadhav and Kashmir.

Earlier this month, India joined 127 other nations for a UN resolution opposing the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. 

India had clarified that it stands for an independent Palestine.