Qatar-India Relations : is someone trying to drive wedges between?
The state of Qatar enjoys a substantive and strong relation with the Republic of India which have evolved and grown over the time stronger and steadier.
His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, The Emir of the State of Qatar had a State Visit to India during 24-25 March 2015, around seven years after the visit of Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh in November, 2008.
After this visit of Emir, both sides began to engage at the highest level, to provide fresh momentum to the bilateral ties. The Qatari PM cum Minister of Interior then payed his first official visit to India during December, 2016. He was accompanied by a number of ministers, businessmen and several key captains of Industry. The establishment of a Qatar-India Business Council was made accordingly.
Next the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi paid an Official Visit to Doha during June, 2016. Since then two countries have been cooperating in key areas of mutual interest including, energy, power, petrochemicals, investments, infrastructure, development, education, culture, health, human resource, media and information technology.
Trade exchanges between the two have witnessed an excellent growth reaching INR 85000 Crores during the financial year 2015-2016 itself.
Qatar is the largest supplier of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to India. India imports around 70% of its needs for the natural gas from Qatar under an agreement signed by both sides in 1990. India will continue to buy 8.5 million tonne of LNG annually for a period of next 25 years.
India is the fourth largest export destination for Qatar followed by Japan, South Korea and Singapore. India is among the countries that purchase from Qatar materials like Ethylene, Propylene, aluminium, urea and Polyethylene.
Major items of Indian exports include electronic tools, transportation equipment, iron, steel, precious stones, rubber, plastic, fertilizers and the chemicals. Other important materials which Qatar imports from India include accessories, textile products, garments, cosmetics, cotton clothes, tools, minerals, meats and pharmaceuticals. Besides both India and Qatar have a good relation in the banking sector.
At the trade cooperation level, the last year witnessed a number of developments marked by the visits of the delegations from the higher bodies of the trade and industry in India, as an office of the Qatar National Bank and an extended branch of the bank of Doha were set up in Mumbai, India.
The trade and economic cooperation and the investment exchanges are regarded the pivot of the economic and trade relations between Qatar and India added to it the remittances which the Indian expatriate community in Qatar send to India which, according to the Indian sources, are estimated to be around INR 6400 Crores per annum.
In view of the economic development and the tangible growth witnessed by India since last few years, India’s need to more sources of the energy is increasing. India over the last five years is known for relying on the policy known as “Energy Security” through which it relies on the countries which are politically and socially stable to provide the sources of energy. In this regard, India places Qatar on the top of the Arab countries for the natural gas and other sources of the energy. This would come to strengthen the orientations of the Indian leadership to receive more gas from Qatar.
The concerned authorities in Qatar including the Qatar Investment Authority exhibited their interests to make investment in India in the domain of the infrastructures which include roads, highways, economic corridors, airports, ports, tourism and hotels apart from the projects related to gas and fertilizers.
In turn, India is seriously looking forward to the direct investment in the manufacturing and production of the liquefied natural gas and chemical industries thereof especially the industry of fertilizers, urea, petrochemicals including the projects concerning the infrastructures related to the industry of the natural gas and drillings of oil, minerals and power.
There is a growing interest shown by the Indian companies in contributing to the construction, infrastructures, communications, information technology, energy and other fields.
Indian community is the largest expatriate group in Qatar which is estimated to be around 700 million people. They are making their contribution in different sectors prominent among them being the projects associated with the hosting of Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. Indians are highly respected in Qatar for their sincerity, hard work, technical expertise and law-abiding nature. Indians are employed in almost every local establishment, governmental or private, in various capacities.
Now in spite of all the above, it seems some power is trying to put a wedge in between the Indo Qatari relationship. Around eight retired officers of the Indian Navy working with a Company for Qatar Govt were certainly arrested last year on espionage charges. This is very serious thing with potential to derail India Qatar relationship a b d send it down to “ Timbaktoo “.
In 2020-21 Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain had carried out a diplomatic and economic blockade of Qatar. All three have now very deep relationship with India. The three countries had finally during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit had agreed to end the blockade most probably at the behest of India.
China is trying to develop a strategic relationship with Qatar. They may be keen to elbow out India. The Afghanistan talks were facilitated in Doha. So even USA and a few European powers who do not appreciate India working independently with Afghanistan may be trying some tricks to gain some leverage over India by hook or crook.
Seeing all this a plot has been certainly initiated somewhere to derail India’s growing clout in the region.
Therefore both India and Qatar must resolve the issue most delicately because any mistreatment / misadventure to the retired Indian Navy officers will be taken as a national insult by Indians.
