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Looking beyond Pakistan: India and the UAE forge a new partnership

Dubai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives a book from the Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, at a meeting at Za’abeel Palace, Dubai, on Monday. (Source: PTI)

The understanding arrived between Modi and the UAE leadership on the nature of the threat from terrorism, and the measures needed to counter it go much farther, and are far more explicit.

In proclaiming a “natural strategic partnership” with the United Arab Emirates and putting security cooperation, including counter-terrorism, at the centre of it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has seized a rare moment of change in the Gulf and launched a new phase in India’s relations with a very critical region.

The new chapter will be marked not just by an even-handed approach by the UAE to India’s disputes with Pakistan, but an unprecedented political endorsement of Delhi’s concerns about violent extremism, and a strong commitment to jointly combat the sources of terrorism in the subcontinent and the Middle East.

Modi’s decision to travel to the Emirates at short notice was based on Delhi’s recognition of the need to discard the traditional thinking on the region, and grasp the new opportunities for a restructuring of relations between the subcontinent and the Gulf.

Despite the historical links, civilisational intimacy, geographical proximity, growing economic interdependence, and the presence of a large Indian labour force in the Gulf, political relations between India and the region have long been strained by the Pakistan factor.

Islamabad’s emphasis on shared religious bonds and the region’s reluctance to understand India’s difficulties in dealing with cross-border terrorism from Pakistan had long cast a shadow over India’s relations with the Gulf.

In his engagement with the leaders of the Emirates on Monday, Modi obtained a rare expression of empathy for India’s long-standing security concerns vis-a-vis Pakistan.

The joint statement issued by India and UAE referred to the issue of giving a religious colour to political disputes (Islamabad’s promotion of jihadi culture), dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism (on Pakistani soil), bringing perpetrators of terrorism to justice ( Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi of 26/11), and dismantling the alliance between money laundering, criminal networks and violent extremism (Dawood Ibrahim).

That this support has come from the Emirates, one of the countries closest to Pakistan, underlines the profound changes that are threatening the Gulf.

In the past, the region could afford to look the other way as Pakistan used religious extremism and terrorism as a tool of its foreign policy in Afghanistan and India. Recall that the UAE and Saudi Arabia were the only countries that recognised the Taliban government in Afghanistan during the late 1990s.

Today, the region can no longer take a detached view, given the threat that violent extremism and religious strife pose to the existing political order in the Gulf kingdoms.

That the region was beginning to appreciate India’s concerns on terrorism and take a more balanced approach to the issues between Delhi and Islamabad was evident when King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia visited India nearly a decade ago.

The understanding arrived between Modi and the UAE leadership on the nature of the threat from terrorism, and the measures needed to counter it go much farther, and are far more explicit.

This welcome advance is understandable given the mounting challenges to the security of the Gulf kingdoms. The rise of the Islamic State and the deepening sectarian tensions between the Sunni and the Shia are threatening to tear apart the political fabric of the Sheikhdoms.

Unlike Pakistan which can live with a measure of internal chaos, the Gulf kingdoms need internal tranquility to sustain the prosperity of their deeply globalised economies run by workers and professional managers drawn from diverse nations.

The joint statement’s reference to the shared commitment between the two countries to “openness, peaceful coexistence and social harmony” are not the kind of phrases that normally figure in India’s engagement with monarchies anywhere in the world.

The reference to the UAE as “a shining example of a multi-cultural society” is a political recognition of the high stakes involved in defending the economies of the region that are so vulnerable to violent religious extremism.

Once this political challenge was understood, it was not difficult for Modi and his Gulf interlocutors to devise an ambitious framework for security cooperation.

The bold new agenda between the two countries now ranges from intelligence sharing and police training to cooperation between law enforcement agencies against criminal networks and joint anti-terror operations.

The statement also calls for intensive engagement between the two national security establishments, interoperability between the armed forces, and even proposes joint development of weapon systems.

Having negotiated this extraordinary agenda with the Emirates, Delhi must now focus on translating it into concrete action on the ground. At the same time, India needs to demonstrate the discretion not to crow about a diplomatic victory against Pakistan.

As it reaches out to Pakistan’s traditional friends in the Gulf, Delhi must affirm its commitment to work with them in transforming the whole of subcontinent into a more peaceful and prosperous place.

Modi in UAE: PM offers $1 trillion investment opportunity to erase ‘deficit of 34 years’

"We want technology, speed and quality construction when it comes to housing. Low cost housing is very important for us," Modi said, adding that there were "great growth possibilities in India".

Inviting investors from UAE, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India has an immediate investment opportunity of $1 trillion and the government will take urgent steps to address concerns of the businessmen from this country and erase “deficit of 34 years”.

Modi also said his government has got some problems in legacy and his immediate priority would be to kickstart the things which were stalled by the “indecisiveness and lethargy” of the past governments.

“I have got some problems in legacy. I can not take only the good points and leave aside the problems… Some things were stalled due to the indecisiveness and lethargy of the governments (in the last)… It is my priority to kickstart those things,” Modi said while addressing the business leaders from the UAE at Masdar City.

Modi, who is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit UAE in the last 34 years, said India has huge investment opportunities for investors from the UAE in sectors like infrastructure, energy and real estate and urged them to come to invest in India and together make the 21st century ‘Asia’s Century’. -

The Prime Minister said all major global institutions such as IMF, World Bank and Moody’s agree that India is the world’s fastest growing economy and it has huge development potential.

“On one hand India is growing fast and on the other hand, the world is looking at Asia. But is Asia complete without UAE? I can clearly see that the UAE should be at the centre of mainstream of things in Asia. UAE’s power and India’s potential can make it Asia’s century,” he said.

Modi said he has been told about some problems being faced by investors from the UAE and he wants to assure them that the government is solving those problems.

“I will send my Commerce Minister to try and find solutions to the problems faced by some UAE investors,” he said.

The investors told the Prime Minister that they need steps like single window clearance and cited cumbersome and complex processes for doing business in India. To this, Modi assured that these problems will be resolved.

In their meeting with the Prime Minister, the businessmen also said that the government needs to be a strategic partner to create a conducive business environment for the investors who need safety of their investments.

The issue assumes significance as a number of investors, including some from the Middle-East region, have in the past faced problems due to taxation and policy related issues.

Modi said he needs investments to build infrastructure for India’s growth and “there is immediate potential for investments totalling $1 trillion in India.”

Stating that he is well aware of the fact that $1 trillion is a big number, Modi said such investments can very well come to India as it has now got a decisive and stable government.
Talking about no Indian Prime Minister having visited the UAE in the last 34 years, Modi said, “We have lost 34 years. I want to erase the deficit of these 34 years. I want all of you to come to India and make 21st Century Asia’s century.”

Modi said there are 700 flights between India and UAE, but it took 34 years for an Indian Prime Minister to visit.

“I promise this will not happen again,” he said.

Those present in the meeting included members of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, top government officials and Indian origin industrialists including Yusuff Ali, B R Shetty, Ravi Pillai and PNC Menon who have set up businesses in Masdar.

Listing out investment areas, Modi said, “We want technology, speed and quality construction when it comes to housing. Low-cost housing is very important for us.

“It is now commonly believed that India is one of the fastest growing economies. There are several opportunities of development in India.

“I feel India is a land of many opportunities… 125 crore people of India are not a market but they are a source of great strength.”

“In the agriculture sector we need cold storage network and warehousing network where UAE businesses have another advantage. Infrastructure development and real estate offer tremendous opportunities for UAE businesses in India.

UAE’s power and India’s potential can make the dream of an Asian Century a reality.”