MEA MoS, BJP’s Naqvi, Congress’s Khurshid attend event to mark 40th day of Khamenei killing

While addressing the mega gathering, Naqvi reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stand that “expansionist obsession is the enemy of a developmental mindset”.

Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita attended a commemoration ceremony organised in the memory of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the late Supreme Leader of Iran, who was killed in a strike by US and Israel 40 days ago, in New Delhi on Sunday. Senior officials of the MEA are also learnt to have been present at the meeting.

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

While Margherita did not speak at the event, he later spoke to reporters. “Minister of State Shri Pabitra Margherita offered solemn respects on behalf of the Government of India at the 40th day (Chehelum) mourning ceremony organized 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.
The event began at about 7 pm and went on till 11 pm. It began with a few speeches, with Naqvi, Khurshid and Iranian ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali addressing the gathering. This was followed by religious ceremonies. Representatives of different religions including Islam, Sikhism and Jainism are learnt to have been present at the event.

Khurshid is learnt to have said that Iran and India have strong civilisational ties.

While addressing the mega gathering, Naqvi reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stand that “expansionist obsession is the enemy of a developmental mindset”. Naqvi, who had earlier served as the chairman of the Indo-Iran Parliamentary group, 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.

The Iranian embassy posted on X late 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.”

Vikas Pathak is deputy associate editor with The Indian Express and writes on national politics. He has over 17 years of experience, and has worked earlier with The Hindustan Times and The Hindu, among other publications. He has covered the national BJP, some key central ministries and Parliament for years, and has covered the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls and many state assembly polls. He has interviewed many Union ministers and Chief Ministers. Vikas has taught as a full-time faculty member at Asian College of Journalism, Chennai; Symbiosis International University, Pune; Jio Institute, Navi Mumbai; and as a guest professor at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Vikas has authored a book, Contesting Nationalisms: Hinduism, Secularism and Untouchability in Colonial Punjab (Primus, 2018), which has been widely reviewed by top academic journals and leading newspapers. He did his PhD, M Phil and MA from JNU, New Delhi, was Student of the Year (2005-06) at ACJ and gold medalist from University Rajasthan College in Jaipur in graduation. He has been invited to top academic institutions like JNU, St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and IIT Delhi as a guest speaker/panellist. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita attended a commemoration ceremony organised in the memory of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the late Supreme Leader of Iran, who was killed in a strike by US and Israel 40 days ago, in New Delhi on Sunday. Senior officials of the MEA are also learnt to have been present at the meeting.

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

While Margherita did not speak at the event, he later spoke to reporters. “Minister of State Shri Pabitra Margherita offered solemn respects on behalf of the Government of India at the 40th day (Chehelum) mourning ceremony organized 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.
The event began at about 7 pm and went on till 11 pm. It began with a few speeches, with Naqvi, Khurshid and Iranian ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali addressing the gathering. This was followed by religious ceremonies. Representatives of different religions including Islam, Sikhism and Jainism are learnt to have been present at the event.

Khurshid is learnt to have said that Iran and India have strong civilisational ties.

While addressing the mega gathering, Naqvi reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stand that “expansionist obsession is the enemy of a developmental mindset”. Naqvi, who had earlier served as the chairman of the Indo-Iran Parliamentary group, 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.

The Iranian embassy posted on X late 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.”