A letter signed by members of the Indian community in Iran and addressed to Jaishankar was circulated ahead of his visit claiming that the community was concerned over CAA and protests in India, ET has reliably learnt. The members of the community even wanted to meet Jaishankar to voice their concern over CAA according to the letter

New Delhi: Pakistan may have tried to play spoilsport to derail Indo-Iran ties coinciding with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar's visit to Tehran last month through the circulation of a fake letter on CAA & protests, Indian establishment suspects.

A letter signed by members of the Indian community in Iran and addressed to Jaishankar was circulated ahead of his visit claiming that the community was concerned over CAA and protests in India, ET has reliably learnt. The members of the community even wanted to meet Jaishankar to voice their concern over CAA according to the letter.

“Upon learning of your visit to Iran scheduled for the 21st and 22nd of December from the press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, we Indians living in Iran wish to meet with you in Tehran. The proximate cause for this request is the wave of popular public protests that have swept over our country in the past 10 days, in which a number of our countrymen have been attacked or detained by the police, while several of our fellow Indians have lost their lives too.

However, what has worried us even more than this loss of precious lives is the danger posed by the present government’s policies to the peaceful co-existence long enjoyed by Indians belonging to different communities, including Hindus and Muslims…Therefore, we strongly urge you to make time for an open and free interaction with us during your visit so that as citizens of India, we may have the opportunity to seek answers to our questions and concerns,” said the letter termed fake by the Indian establishment and its counterpart in Tehran.

Around 70-75 Indian families, mostly Sikhs, reside in Tehran and Zahedan and no representation was given to Jaishankar on CAA, sources told ET. The families are residing in Iran for past 120 years. Pakistan may have played spoilsport and created this letter with an eye on creating rift between Delhi and Tehran amid an increase in engagements between the two sides, according to an expert of Iranian affairs.

The letter even got published in an Iranian news agency – Mehr. However, the letter was found to be false as the original letter addressed to Jaishankar by members of Indian community highlighted problems faced by the Indians regarding their work permit and residence permits in Iran and had no mention of CAA and subsequent protests. ET has seen a copy of the letter.

The authorities here ruled out any foul play by any section of Iranian polity into the episode and Tehran, like most members of OIC, has not reacted on what is essentially an internal matter of India. In fact over the last few years Iran has maintained a neutral stand on Kashmir issue in OIC meets.