Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei asks India to stop attacks on Muslims, confront ” Hindu extremists”

March 5, 2020

New Delhi: In a harsh comment on the Delhi violence, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei on Thursday said that the Government should put a check on ”extremist Hindus and their parties” and stop ”massacre of Muslims.

”The hearts of Muslims all over the world are grieving over the massacre of Muslims in India. The govt of India should confront extremist Hindus & their parties & stop the massacre of Muslims in order to prevent India’s isolation from the world of Islam,” Khammenei tweeted.

His condemnation of Delhi riots follows criticism by other world leaders, which India has rejected as ”selective” approach to see the incidents.

Earlier this week Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted: “Iran condemns the wave of organised violence against Indian Muslims. For centuries, Iran has been a friend of India. We urge Indian authorities to ensure the well-being of ALL Indians and not let senseless thuggery prevail. Path forward lies in peaceful dialogue and rule of law.”

Registering a strong protest against these comments, New Delhi summoned Iranian ambassador Ali Chegeni to tell him that the minister’s comment was unwarranted as it related to a matter purely internal to India.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)on Thursday again protested against remarks by foreign leaders on the Delhi situation at a media briefing while replying to a question on the statement of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and a junior UK Minister Nigel Adams.

India had issued a demarche to the Turkish Envoy in Delhi Şakir Özkan Torunlar over Erdoğan calling Delhi riots a “massacre”.

MEA Spokesperson Ravish Kumar said,” at this sensitive time, we would urge people not to make any irresponsible comments and not to be influenced by selective and unsubstantiated narrative on the matter.

‘As far as comments by the Turkish President are concerned, they are factually inaccurate and are driven by his political agenda. We do not expect such irresponsible statements from a Head of State.
On 3 March, we made a strong demarche on the matter with the Turkish Ambasador in Delhi

”We have seen certain comments made on the recent incidents of violence in Delhi. At this stage, we would like to highlight that the situation is fast returning to normal. The law enforcement agencies are on the ground to restore confidence and ensure that law and order is maintained. Prime Minister has appealed for peace and brotherhood. Senior officials have visited the place of violence, peace committees have been formed and other steps have been taken in this direction,” he said.

Last week, the world’s largest Muslim country Indonesia had summoned the Indian ambassador to express concern about the violence. The Indonesian government had said it had “complete confidence that the government of India will be able to manage the situation and ensure the harmonious relations among its religious communities”.

The Delhi violence which erupted in the middle of a two-day visit by US President Donald Trump, began as clashes between rival groups over the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, or CAA, and have claimed over 50 lives so far.
–India News Stream