HYDERABAD: For the 50,000-odd Telangana diaspora in Qatar, the diplomatic tussle between their host nation and the several other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a trivial matter. Most are of the view that the issue will be resolved quickly but life for everyone is ‘normal’, say expatriates.
“We all are safe and no incident of anyone being affected has been reported till now. The business is as usual and we don’t have any problem,” said a spokesperson for Doha Qatar Telangana Gulf Samithi (DQTGS). However, some expats say that their companies have issued memos asking their employees to be tight-lipped about the ground situation.
“The government is saying not to leak information about the situation. So most people are hesitant to speak. But the issue is not a big deal,” said Anjenya V (name changed) an expatriate in Doha.
“People are afraid to tell anything. It’s too early to say if there will be a drop in the number of people seeking jobs in the GCC,” said M Bhim Reddy, Migrant Rights council.
Most of the people who seek job in Qatar from Telangana are in the construction and service sector. There is a major infrastructure work going on there due to the 2022 FIFA worldcup. Immediate family members of many are worried about the situation but this a general tendency, he added.
Those whose air travel plans have been affected due to the ban, airlines have offered refund of tickets for the cancelled flights.
With Mauritania joining the boycott of the island Arab nation, the list has grown to eight.
The diplomatic backlash was mainly fuelled by Qatar’s alleged funding of rebels linked to the Islamic State and their cosy relationship with Iran.
Earlier in 2015, Qatar was instrumental in brokering the Iran Nuclear deal between the US and Iran. The country has also drawn flak from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other neighbouring countries for their support to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic political faction in Egypt.
The Indian diaspora in Qatar is over 6 lakh. India has good relations will all GCC nations and is closely monitoring the developments.
Meanwhile, the Embassy of India in Doha as on June 5 has issued an advisory for Indian national in Qatar explaining in detail about the diplomatic tussle.