For the family of the late E. Ahamed, there could not have been a richer tribute to the leader than the homage paid by Palestine Ambassador Adnan Abu Aljaha in a note that he wrote during his recent visit to the late leader’s residence in Kannur.
The note Mr. Aljaha wrote in Arabic during his visit to Sithara, the residence of the late Indian Union Muslim League leader at Thana here on February 28, is seen by the family as testimony to the high esteem he was held in by the Palestinian authorities.
The Ambassador’s visit to the house and his tribute remembering Ahamed’s commitment to the Palestinian cause showed the goodwill he had earned among the Palestinian leadership.
Ahamed had been on diplomatic missions in various international forums even before his tenure as Minister of State for External Affairs during the previous United Progressive Alliance government.
“As a champion of the Palestinian cause, my father had played a significant role in raising the image of India in the Arab world,” said Rayees Ahamed, Ahamed’s son.
Mr. Rayees also recalled his father’s visit to Palestine to meet Palestine leader Yasser Arafat a few months before the latter’s death.
In the note the Ambassador recalled that he “used to consult him [Ahamed] for every issue small or big”.
Remembering Ahamed as generous leader who had “never hesitated to give consultation”, Mr. Aljaha further wrote that “E. Ahamed was a Palestinian by nature and that he had carried the Palestinian cause wherever he went”.
Ahamed was a friend of Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas, the president of State of Palestine, the note stated.
“A duty”
Mohammed Sunil, a relative of the deceased leader, said the Ambassador had also told the relatives present during his visit, that he had considered it his duty to visit the residence of the late leader and pay homage.
During his visit to the house for over one hour, Mr. Aljaha had also spoken over the phone to Ahamed’s children, who had been working abroad.
