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Red
Faces In India Over Hamas Fiasco
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| Khaled
Meshal, Hamas political bureau head |
By
Our India Correspondent
NEW
DELHI, Feb. 1 (Islamonline) - Lucknow police’s claim that it had
arrested two Jordanians and one Palestinian ‘Hamas activists’ has turned out
to be a farce. Now India has clarified that the arrested people are not members
of Hamas and that India has nothing against Hamas in any case.
The
Lucknow police had arrested the three on January 6 for possessing forged
passports and overstay and soon came out with a fantastic story that it had
busted a Hamas cell active in India. Now Indian senior officers have denied
these wild accusations and clarified that though Hamas is labeled
‘terrorist’ by Israel and the U.S., it is not considered an illegal or
terrorist organization by India, reported Times of India today.
While
the local police sources went to Lucknow citing Hamas ‘connections’ as
evidence of the complicity of the three arrested men in some larger conspiracy,
official sources in the Ministry of Indian External Affairs clarified that not
only were they found without having any connection with Hamas, but also that
membership of Hamas was not something the Indian government was acting against.
‘‘Investigation
and information gathering are carried out in respect of organizations that
specifically target India with their acts. Currently Hamas is not one of
them’’, official sources said.
The
issue was raised by the Palestinian embassy with the Ministry of External
Affairs and an exchange of correspondence and meetings ensued.
While
both are tight-lipped about what transpired, saying the matter is now closed, it
is learnt that the Palestinian embassy was assured by the Indian authorities
that the misunderstanding was a result of ‘irresponsible statements’ by
junior police officers and did not reflect the official position of the Indian
government.
It
is also at variance with the government’s efforts to ensure that the
Palestinians’ right to protest against the occupation of their land is not
negated by the draft Comprehensive Convention on Terrorism, currently under
negotiation at the UN.
While
this may meet the diplomatic requirements, it has certainly not satisfied the
Palestinians residing in India, especially the student population.
Palestinian
students said worried parents had been getting in touch with the embassy as also
the Palestinian Students Union, and at least 20-30 of them had suggested that
their children be sent back from India.
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