MoS External Affairs Margherita, Naqvi, Khurship attend commemoration ceremony in memory of Khamenei

Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita on Sunday night attended a commemoration ceremony in the national capital organised in the memory of Ayatullah Ali Khamenei, the late Supreme Leader of Iran, who was killed in a strike by the US and Israel 40 days ago, leading to the ongoing war between the US and Israel on the one hand and Iran on the other. Senior officials of the MEA are also learnt to have been present in the meeting.

Former Cabinet minister and BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi attended the meet, and so did former Cabinet minister and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid.

While Margherita did not speak at the meet, he spoke to reporters after the event was over. “Minister of State Shri Pabitra Margherita offered solemn respects on behalf of the Government of India at the 40th day (Chehelum) mourning ceremony organised by the Embassy of Iran in New Delhi. India–Iran relations are anchored in deep-rooted civilizational, cultural and people-to-people ties,” official spokesperson of the MEA Randhir Jaiswal posted on Sunday night.

Organised to mark the 40th day of the death of Khamenei, the event began at about 7 pm and went on till 11 pm. It began with a few speeches, with Naqvi, Khurshid and the Iranian ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, addressing the gathering. After that, there were religious ceremonies. Representatives of Jamat-e-Islami and also of the Sikh and Jain religions are learnt to have been present.

Khurshid is learnt to have said that Iran and India have strong civilisational ties, pointing to historical bonds between the two nations.

While addressing the huge gathering, Naqvi reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stand that “expansionist obsession is the enemy of a developmental mindset”. Naqvi, who was chairman of the Indo-Iran Parliamentary group in the UPA days, underlined that India is in favour of resolving the crisis through prudence, sensitivity, dialogue and coordination. “Temporary conflicts between nations inflict permanent wounds to humanity. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are stark examples,” Naqvi said.

While there was much discussion on PM Modi not putting out a single post on social media after the killing of Khamenei, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri went to the Iranian embassy days later to express his condolences.

The Iranian embassy posted on X lat on Sunday night, “The ceremony marking the 40th day since the martyrdom of His Eminence Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, was held at the Iran Culture House in New Delhi, attended by senior officials of the Government of India, diplomats, political figures, leaders of various religions, Muslim Ulama, as well as thousands of people from across India.”