Omani princess clarifies after impersonator tweets targeting India

NEW DELHI: Omani princess Sayyida Mona bint Fahd al Said, who had a Twitter account impersonating her, has issued a clarification regarding the purported tweet on the expulsion of Indian workers from Oman, government sources said on Thursday.
A Twitter account @SayyidaMona on Wednesday had tweeted that Oman government will expel one million workers living in Oman if the "persecution" of Muslims in India is not stopped.
"Oman stand with its Muslim brothers and sisters in India. If the Indian Govt doesn't stop the persecution of Muslims, then 1million workers living in Oman may be expelled. I will take up this issue with the Sultan of Oman @narendramodi," the fake account had tweeted.

The fake tweet had also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spread misinformation. The account has now been suspended.
Later, the princess issued a clarification, saying that the above Twitter handle doesn't belong to her and released a statement denouncing the fake tweet.
"Friends, first of all, I thank you for your concern to verify the offensive post published through an account impersonating me, which you are sure that I have no connection with it."
"With full trust in all of you in strengthening awareness among all regarding such activities, which are not acceptable to the Omani society, I confirm again that my presence in social media is restricted on the following accounts: @hhmonaalsaid and @MonaFahad 13," she wrote in a statement.
The Indian ambassador to Oman, Munu Mahawar, thanked Mona al Said for her clarification and added that both countries will continue to work towards strengthening their relationship.
"I thank HH @MonaFahad13 for clarification on fake social media posts attributed to her. India values its friendly relations with Oman and will continue working closely with the Government and people of Oman to further strengthen our special relationship," he tweeted.

According to sources in the Indian government, the tweet appears to be a deliberate attempt to sow discord between the two nations.
"Princess of Oman has clarified that her Twitter handle was impersonated. We see a design to create discord in India and also in our relations with the Gulf countries. Our missions have appealed to these nations to not fall for such malicious propaganda," sources said.
"Our missions are in touch with host governments. There is an ongoing discussion on the welfare of Indian workers. We have seen such reports. This is a dynamic situation and will continue to engage," they added.