Samikhsya Bureau
It is a perfect case of ‘a stitch in time’ that India has timed well its efforts to get closer to Riyadh when the pangs of terror keep us bleeding. Besides the economic boost which is on the cards, a cooperation in security can really add to the situation when a nagging neighbor continue to breath down India’s neck.
While wallowing in the bonhomie with Saudi Arabia, Indian think-tanks cannot ignore the fact that its good relationship with Pakistan may also bother our diplomats. Yet, when the nation tries to recover from the ghastly bloodbath in Pulwama by Pak sponsored JeM outfit, India’s relationship with SA, mainly after Prime Minister Modi’s last visit to Riyadh, can also produce discomfiture for Pakistan.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud’s visit, soon after the Pulwama attack cannot be seen isolation but Indian diplomats can take it as an opportune time to use the bonhomie with SA to put pressure on Pakistan to desist from terror practices.
India has over the years built up a robust and very strong India-Saudi Arabia relation, which is independent of any third party and the growing New Delhi-Riyadh axis has the potential to make Pakistan feel ‘insecure’. “If the growing ties between Saudi Arabia-Pakistan and Saudi Arabia-India are to be taken into account, let me say that it is Pakistan which is feeling a bit insecure and not us,” a senior official has said in New Delhi.
“This India-Saudi relationship has radically transformed in last few years,” the official said, adding, “In fact, if someone has to be worried, it is Pakistan”.
The bureaucrat in the know of things vis-a-vis India-Saudi Arabia relations and the importance attached by both sides to it further said – “Last four-five years, we have seen a remarkable transformation and that is something that has genuinely happened and particularly after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016”.
Commenting on the fact that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud made a visit to Islamabad on Sunday and even told Pakistani leadership that he would be happy to be a ‘Pak envoy’ in Saudi Arabia, the official tried to point out the obvious facts about ground zero situation and economic reality.
“When they invest in India, they are going to invest on a very robust economy which is growing over 7 per cent and that they are not here to bail out India,” he said.
“We have developed a strong independent strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia and it is independent of Pakistan,” he said.
As a testimony of India-Saudi better understanding, the bureaucrat pointed out at the 2016 Joint Statement issued at Riyadh during Modi’s visit in 2016 that said, ‘The menace of extremism and terrorism threatens all nations and societies and the two sides reject totally any attempt to link this universal phenomenon to any particular race, religion or culture.
“They called on all states to reject the use of terrorism against other countries; dismantle terrorism infrastructures where they happen to exist and to cut off any kind of support and financing to the terrorists operating and perpetrating terrorism from their territories against other states; and bring perpetrators of acts of terrorism to justice”.
Sources also said that even as the Pulwama terror attack is being debated and discussed now, the visit of Saudi Crown Prince to India was planned much before February 14 attack.
The official pointed out that the reflection of growing ties must be also appreciated from the fact as over last few years, many people wanted by Indian agencies have been ‘extradited’.
“If you look at defence cooperation, there is a greater interest in Saudi side to engage with us and thus we are also looking at a joint Naval exercise,” he said.
India is, in fact, one of the eighth key strategic partners of Saudi Arabia and these include – China, Japan, Korea, France, Germany, the UK and the US.
“This list was beyond the countries they (Saudis) were traditionally engaged and the decision to include these eight countries as their strategic partners was taken suo motu by Saudi leadership,” he said.
“This itself is a signal given by Saudi Arabia,” the official added.
“The first state visit of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince will take the relations only to a higher level,” the source said.
India is also keen to help Saudi Arabia in sectors like food security.
(With inputs from UIN)
