While the Indian PM’s visit to Saudi Arabia was aimed at bolstering economic and strategic partnership with the Kingdom, it may have fallen short of addressing the issues and concerns of the nearly 3 million-strong Indian disaspora
OZMA SIDDIQUI | Caravan Daily
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia is being seen as historic by many, giving hope to the thousands of the Indian expatriates living and working here.
There are estimated to be over 3 million expats currently living in the Kingdom. Visiting prime ministers bring with them the promise of making working conditions better for their nationals, many of whom are supporting families back home and whose remittances form a large chunk of the economy.
Modi’s visit came at a time when the region is undergoing large-scale turmoil with the Syrian crisis, the war in Yemen, the rising hostilities between Iran and Saudi Arabia which have slashed oil prices globally – developments with a direct impact on India’s foreign interests.
It is also possible that Modi during his visit may have come to realize that ‘To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries’ (Aldous Huxley) and that he had a bird’s eye view of Saudi Arabia, often termed the ‘hermit kingdom’ by the western media.
The tide of public opinion has shifted back home. Modi’s landslide victory in the 2014 General Elections was viewed with dismay in some quarters and caution in others. Modi is still remembered for the 2002 pogrom which saw the large scale massacre of Muslims. This is a chapter he will find hard to close.
Khaled Almaeena, the veteran Saudi journalist based in Jeddah, noted with disappointment India’s lack of attention to the Palestinian cause.
Analysts warn that despite Modi’s friendly gesture towards Saudi Arabia, India’s foreign policy continues to support Iran and Israel which are seen as threats to the region. It may also be of some concern that Saudi Arabia enjoys good relations with Pakistan, another strategic partner for the Kingdom with mutual political, religious and cultural interests.
There is an equally large Pakistani diaspora living and working in the Kingdom with the current Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif having invested heavily here and even made a royal connection by getting his daughter married among the ruling elite.
But India has emerged as an important force with countries globally recognizing its potential as a strategic business partner contributing in nearly all spheres including trade, education, technology and manpower.
This has greatly helped rescue Modi’s reputation as well as downplay the fact that he is currently leading a far right extremist group which has since coming to power, marginalized the minorities, particularly the Muslims with the shenanigans of the ‘Love Jihad’ (spreading rumors that Muslims were coercing Hindus into marrying Muslims), the ‘Ghar Wapsi’ (forcing Muslims to convert to Hinduism) as cases in point.
Modi’s visit to the Kingdom was with the express purpose of bolstering bilateral trade relations in a volatile world of spiraling oil prices and the Kingdom actively seeking to make large non-oil investments.
Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trading partner with the volume of trade between the two countries exceeding $40 billion. Saudi Arabia also makes up about one-fifth of India’s crude oil exports and remains the largest supplier of the non-recyclable fuel.
India, on the other hand, has become a major exporter of products ranging from cosmetics to industrial and farming equipment across the region.
Touted by many local dailies as a highly successful visit, Modi was bestowed with the highest civilian honor in the Kingdom, the King Abdulaziz Sash.
But one is not quite sure if the visit addressed the issues and concerns of Indian expatriates. There were calls for example, to establish an Indian consulate in the Eastern Province where Indian nationals have to travel to Riyadh, 450 km away to get any passport work or complete the formalities for the deceased.
There are also a number of cases of expatriate workers suffering from poor working conditions and delayed salaries. Private welfare groups such as the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department or NORKA (set up in 1996) are actively involved in providing relief to Keralites and safeguarding their rights.
Many cases are not brought to light and Indian workers especially those in the low income bracket bear the burden of exploitation from their sponsors and not usually being in possession of important documents like their passport or resident permit, are confined to their work place.
Suicides are not uncommon with reasons frequently attributed to the inability to pay off debts due to non-payment of salaries.
For the average Indian, life in the Kingdom is good. However, not all cities have schools and families with young children are often forced to send them to schools in other cities. For example, there is no community school (as they are known here) for Indians in Makkah.
Children make the arduous journey from the holy city to Jeddah daily suffering the toxic fumes in the buses and arriving home as late as 6 pm with no time to do anything else.
Calls to establish an Indian school in Makkah have fallen on deaf ears and parents and children continue to undergo the hardships of long commutes and tiring journeys.
There are also no facilities for higher studies in the Kingdom after the 12th grade. The private universities and colleges available are way beyond the ordinary Indian family’s budget and moreover, there is a limited range of specialisms.
Many expatriates choose to send their children back home although because of the stringent resident permit laws, some parents were forced to terminate their children’s higher studies as a measure to save the cost of travel to India.
The branches of the IGNOU and Sikkim Manipal distance learning universities have opened up in Jeddah but while course materials are readily available, there is a dearth of qualified staff to supervise studies.
Besides, job opportunities for expatriate children are bound by several legal conundrums including their continued stay in the Kingdom. Boys need to go on a final exit at a certain age, normally 18 although some expatriates have worked their way around this.
The rules are more flexible for girls although once they get married there is a long-winding route to get their sponsorship transferred from their father to their husband.
It was thought therefore that Modi’s visit would address these issues. One only hopes they may be on his agenda for the next visit. And considering his recent success, he may just make that journey all too soon.
