The Republic Day parade this year was marked by the presence of Crown Prince of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, and the participation by a contingent of the UAE armed forces. What, however, received worldwide attention was the tallest building in the world, the 2,722-foot high Burj Khalifa in Dubai, being beautifully lit up in the Indian tricolour—saffron, white and green—the same night. Few in Dubai, and indeed across our entire neighbourhood, could have foreseen such a remarkable gesture to India from a neighbouring Arab country, with which India has enjoyed significant common interests, but uneven political understanding. Indians and others in Dubai described this as “Modi effect”!
In August 1984, an Indian Airlines flight from Srinagar to Delhi was hijacked and flown to Dubai, after stopovers in Lahore and Karachi. The aircraft was allowed to fly to Dubai, where contrary to Pakistani expectations, they were forced to surrender and repatriated to India by the then UAE defence minister. The cooperation we received in Dubai followed visits to India by the then UAE ruler Sheikh Mohammed Zayed and a visit to the UAE by then Indian PM Indira Gandhi.
Responding to the assistance given during the hijacking, India became the first country to agree to regular flights by the newly established Emirates Airways owned by the Dubai Royals. Sadly, this relationship was soon neglected with no summit-level visits for three decades thereafter. The result was that likes of Dawood Ibrahim found refuge in Dubai.
The UAE became increasingly pro-Pakistani even on issues like J&K. It also became one of the only three governments worldwide to recognise the Taliban government in Afghanistan. When IC 814 was flown to Dubai from Lahore in 1999, UAE government showed little understanding for India. The aircraft was refuelled and allowed to fly to Kandahar, after an Indian passenger was killed in Dubai.
The timing of Narendra Modi’s visit to the UAE was propitious. The Emirate recognised that with a rapidly growing economy and openness to foreign investment, India was a major market in a world where growing production of shale oil in the US and elsewhere had sent the oil prices crashing. Meanwhile, Pakistan was proving an embarrassment, with its aids to terrorist groups.
But, what really appears to have turned the views of UAE leaders was their assessment that Modi is a strong leader, ready to expand business, investment and security ties. His visit produced agreement that UAE would commit investments of $75 billion and cooperate in dealing with terrorism. Another major agreement was that UAE will provide six million barrels of oil for India’s reserve. While talks on investments are to be held shortly, India will have to address UAE’s concerns in the telecom, construction, infrastructure and civil aviation sectors. We need to remember that there are 2.5 million Indian nationals living in the UAE, who remit back around $2.6 billion annually. The UAE is one of our largest export markets worldwide, with our annual exports reaching $30 billion.
Apart from its recent reservations in recruiting Pakistani nationals, the UAE, like Saudi Arabia, feels betrayed by Pakistan refusing to live up to its promises of support for military operations in Yemen. Worse still, there is evidence of Pakistani support for the recent attack in Kandahar, wherein five UAE diplomats were killed and the UAE ambassador seriously wounded.
India can use its warm ties with the UAE and Saudi Arabia to conclude a regional cooperation agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, like it has done with ASEAN. Modi has skillfully conducted his diplomacy across our western shores to ensure that India has good relations with all major regional powers—Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt.
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