Prophet comment row: Culprits will be taught a lesson, NSA assures Iran

NSA Doval informed the Iranian foreign minister that wrongdoers will be dealt with at the level of the government and related bodies in a way that is a lesson to others

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, in a meeting with Iran Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said the wrongdoers will be dealt with at the level of the government and related bodies in a way that is a lesson to others, while referring to the now suspended BJP spokesperson, Nupur Sharma's comments on Prophet Mohammad.

According to Times of India report, Doval in a meeting said, "wrongdoers will be dealt with at the level of the government and related bodies in a way that is a lesson to others".

Abdollahian expressed satisfaction with the "position of the Indian authorities in dealing with the situation," the report added.

The Iranian foreign minister called for "serious attention" to Muslims' sensitivities, during his three-day visit to the country.

Controlling the damage made by Sharma's comment, the external affairs ministry on Wednesday said Abdollahian arrived in India to a “warm welcome” to hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. 

Abdollahian also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi who "warmly recalled" the long-standing civilisational and cultural links between India and Iran, the statement by the ministry said.

"The two leaders discussed ongoing bilateral cooperation initiatives. Prime Minister stressed that both countries should work to accelerate exchanges in the post-Covid era," it added.

PM Modi has also requested Abdollahian to also pass his greetings to His Excellency President Ebrahim Raisi, and looked forward to meeting the President of Iran at an early date.

During the delegation level talks, Abdollahian and Jaishankar discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations including political, cultural and people to people ties.

Abdollahian is the first leader from an Islamic country who came to New Delhi amid widespread anger in Gulf countries over Sharma’s comments. His visit comes two days after Iran joined other Muslim countries in summoning Indian ambassadors to protest the former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson’s remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

Despite its diplomatic stand on the Islamic slur, Iran went ahead with the visit and there was no change in Abdollahian’s schedule. He is scheduled to visit Mumbai and Hyderabad as planned.