Prophet not mentioned in Iran's talks with PM, but Doval assures strict action
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New Delhi: Iran's External Affairs Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Minister Jaishankar and National Security Advior Ajit Doval during his whirlwind visit to India on Wednesday.
All eyes were on the meeting to know what transpired between the two sides in the wake of former BJP spokesperson's controversial statement on Prophet Muhammad.
Though Iran was among the Arab countries to vehemently come down on Nupur Sharma, reports quoting a top official in Delhi said the issue had not been raised during the bilateral meeting.
Arindam Bagchi, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, reportedly said that the tweets and comments didn't reflect the views of the Indian government, referring to the controversial statement.
However, Hossein Amir Abdollahian raised the issue with India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in their meeting on Wednesday, according to India Today; an Iranian handout afterwards said that Abdollahian pointed at the "negative atmosphere" being triggered by the "disrespectful" comments on Prophet Muhammad.
According to the Iranian readout, Ajit Doval said that the "offenders" would be dealt with seriously.
On Wednesday night, Amirabdollahian in a tweet expressed his happiness over meeting with PM Modi, FM Jaishankar and other Indian officials to advance bilateral strategic dialogue. He also said that both Tehran and New Delhi agreed on the need to respect divine religions and Islamic sanctities, as well as avoiding divisive statements.
Iran's External Affairs Minister praised India as a land of compassion and tolerance, as it is a refuge and a front of different views.
Further, he said that the ruckus and clamour neither suits India nor is rooted in India, adding that followers of all religions in India oppose such comments.
On Thursday, when asked about Iranian handout Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said in his understanding what is referred to be in the handout has been pulled down.
