Centre slams Khamenei's remark on Muslims in India

NEW DELHI: India on Monday sharply reacted to Iran 's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 's post on X, in which he wrote, "The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place."

The remark came on the occasion of the Prophet's birthday. In 2019 too, Khamenei had said, "We have good relations with India, but we expect Indian govt to adopt a just policy towards the noble people of Kashmir and prevent oppression and bullying of Muslims in this region."

A Pakistan-Iran joint statement issued after former Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi 's meeting with Pakistan Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier this year highlighted the need to resolve the issue of Kashmir through dialogue and peaceful means "based on the will of the people of that region, and in accordance with international law". India had registered a protest with Iran over the statement.

Interestingly, and in line with Iran's past ambiguity on the Kashmir issue, that statement dropped the past mention of UN Security Cou-ncil (UNSC) resolutions that Islamabad frequently cites in all global forums while peddling its case against India on Kashmir.

This ambiguity has helped Iran balance the need for stable and friendly ties with India with its support for oppressed Muslims across the world, including in J&K.