India's Foreign Policy Investment In Middle-East Pays Rich Dividend
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By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2024-02-13 14:00:16
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The India Commentary view
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When seven former Indian Navy officers and one former Navy seaman, working for a Doha-based private company Dahra Global, were arrested on unspecified charges in Qatar in 2022 and later sentenced to death there was little hope that they would be released and sent back to India. The buzz was that they were arrested on charges for spying for Israel (which amounts to treason in those parts) and given the extra-sensitive nature of all Middle-East countries towards Israel it was rightly assumed that the arrested persons, even if they were not executed, would spend a considerable time in Qatari jails. But, in a major diplomatic win for India, all eight were released on Monday and seven of them returned home.
India has, in the last ten years, invested considerable time and energy in improving its relations with countries in the Middle-East. Nations like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman always tilted towards Pakistan in the past although their relations with India were not strained. But in the last few years, these countries have begun to appreciate the work being done by India on the global stage (especially during the pandemic) and its growing economic clout. Also, Prime Minister Modi's personal equation with the rulers of these countries has also helped in taking bilateral ties several notches higher. In the case of the arrested persons in Qatar, India chose to handle the issue very carefully without making unnecessary noise for the consumption of the global media.
Things started moving fast after Prime Minister Modi met the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of COP28 summit in Dubai. The convicts on death row till then were allowed consular access and allowed to file an appeal. The result was that the death sentence was commuted to jail terms of varying degrees. That was a major breakthrough. After that, talks went on though proper channels, monitored at all times by Prime Minister Modi, and finally culminated in securing their release. This shows how well and in a calibrated manner India has been able to broaden bilateral relations with both the Islamic monarchies in the Middle-East and Israel. The success of India's foreign policy measures in the region is proved by the release of the eight Navy men from Qatar.
