Published: Friday, Nov 19, 2010, 21:31 IST | Updated: Saturday, Nov 20, 2010, 1:23 IST
By Harish Gupta | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_india-issues-demarche-to-iran-over-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-s-remarks-on-j-and-k_1469202
India has issued a demarche to Iran following its leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s remarks supporting the “struggle” in Kashmir.
Iran’s charge de affairs Reza Alaei was summoned and handed over the demarche.
India as an answer to the “disappointing” remarks abstained from voting in the UN resolution on human rights violations in Iran, which it has done in the past.
The ministry of external affairs said, “Our decision on the vote was made after due deliberation.” Eighty countries voted in favour, 44 voted against and 57 abstained.
Former Indian ambassador to the US Lalit Mansingh told ‘DNA’, “The issue of Kashmir has been important for Iran for the Organisation of the Islamic Conference [OIC] and they’ve always regarded it a traditional Muslim issue.
“They have made remarks about Kashmir earlier but this time the timing is surprising and also the language is offensive, India has done the right thing by issuing a demarche.”
According to official sources even many countries who are part of the OIC lack consensus on the resolution and Saudi Arabia earlier has voted in its favour.
Former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan G Parthasarthy told DNA, “Iranians are quite concerned with India’s closeness to the US after Obama’s visit and his veiled support for India’s permanent seat in UNSC, and this is a reaction to the same.
Iran has always been more radical than other Islamic countries and they want to prove more loyalty than other Islamic nations towards freedom causes, which explains their support towards Hezbollah and Hamas.”
Security analyst Uday Bhaskar said, “On one level this support can be seen at a bilateral level, which has come as a reaction after Obama’s visit as India and US coming closer, but the larger issue is of Iran-Shia and other Islamic-Sunni countries, both of whom are positioning themselves in what they call freedom struggle, which are Palestine and Kashmir.”
President Pratibha Patil will be meeting the royalty, the ruling leadership and the armed forces leadership in both countries, make an address and meet Indian expatriates.
