New Delhi-Riyadh bilateral seeks new course
Traditionally, Saudi oil and Indian labour have been the two main pillars on which India's bilateral with the West Asian nation has been premised. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day state visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strengthens a third pillar: Defence and security cooperation. This pillar had been growing in recent years. In 2014, Saudi Arabia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on this issue and also deported to India the man accused of handling the terrorists on the ground during the 26/11 attacks, Zabiuddin Ansari. looking ahead, one can expect more military-to-military cooperation, but this will mostly be symbolic, given the state of the KSA military, which, simply put, isn't known for effectiveness. Instead, the substance will lie in counter-terrorism operations in general and Saudi pressuring of Pakistan to refrain from anti-India activities in particular. If successful, this will mark a major diplomatic win for India. Over the years, the Saudis have consistently been in Pakistan's corner and repeatedly supported it against India, especially on Kashmir. One only has to skim through the resolutions of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, where the KSA is the leading force, for proof. In fact, it was on Pakistan's insistence that Riyadh scuttled India's entry to the OIC at its first conference in Rabat (and continues to hold that stand), even though this country is home to the world's second-largest Muslim population. That said, in recent years, the India-Saudi dynamic has also evolved: First, it emerged as a standalone entity, negating Pakistan's impact on the relationship. This was made possible by the 2006 Delhi Declaration signed during then King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s historic visit to India and the 2010 Riyadh Declaration signed during then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's landmark reciprocal visit. Now, slowly but steadily, the bilateral is growing to use Saudi power to influence Pakistani action in India's favour. This has been made possible not just because India's ties with the KSA have improved but also because of changes in the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia dynamic. One telling example of the latter came last year when Riyadh announced its Islamic coalition to fight in Yemen. Pakistan was listed as an ally but Islamabad claimed it hadn’t been consulted. later, in a break from tradition, Pakistan did not send its troops to fight on behalf of Saudi Arabia. None of this is to suggest that Saudi Arabia is abandoning Pakistan — only that geopolitics is changing in India's favour.
There are two other big takeaways from the Prime Minister's visit. The first is the MoU for labour cooperation that should go a long way in supporting Indians working in the KSA, often in pitiable conditions. Riyadh does little to ensure a better working atmosphere for its large foreign workforce. But if New Delhi can use its diplomatic clout to ensure a better deal for its people, it will truly be a feather in Modi's cap. The second takeaway is Modi's wooing of large Saudi firms, such as Saudi Aramco and Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation, to make investments in India's infrastructure sector. In this regard, a framework agreement has been signed to facilitate private sector investment. India can do with some considerable investment of petro-dollars in its economic growth.