Sushma Swaraj’s Muscat visit puts Indo-Oman ties on higher pedestal

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By Ahmed Mohiuddin Siddiqui, IndiaTomorrow.net,
Muscat, Oman, 18 Feb 2015: The Foreign Minister of India Sushma Swaraj arrived Tuesday in Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman. She was received at the airport by the Omani officials and the Indian Ambassador to Oman J. S Mukul. This is Swaraj’s third visit to a Gulf country since she assumed office in 2014. Earlier, she had visited Bahrain in September and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in November last year. Swaraj has a busy schedule on this two-day visit with bilateral discussions on defence, security, trade, piracy, cyber crimes and issues concerning the 700,000-strong Indian expatriate community in Oman.

It may be recalled that India and Oman share robust relations historically. The Omani Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah was the first Arab minister from the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (AGCC) to visit India on 3 June 2014 and congratulate the new Narendra Modi government, which took power in May 2014. This Indo-Oman strategic partnership dates back to thousands of years.

King Perumal from the southern Indian state of Kerala who embraced Islam at the hands of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) took ill on his return journey to India. He passed away in the ship and was buried on the way in Salalah, the southern city of Oman. Many tourists and visitors throng his tomb even today. Sher-e-Mysore Tipu Sultan, the King of Mysore kingdom had sought military assistance against the British. Tipu had sent a letter to the then Sultan of Oman, then called as the Imam of Muscat and Oman. Rustaq, 145 km away from Muscat, was the capital of Oman then. Before anything could materialize Tipu was martyred fighting the British in Serangapatnam.

The Al Said dynasty which rules Oman has personal relations with India. The King of Oman Sultan Qaboos bin Saed had part of his education in India. In the United Kingdom, Sultan Qaboos was taught by former president of India Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma. The Indian currency was in use in the past. Hence, the similarity between ‘paisa’ and the Omani ‘baisa’. There is no letter ‘p’ in Arabic language.

Swaraj’s visit assumes significance in the context of the emerging new threats to peace from the militant Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The Middle East is in the grip of violent activities by ISIS. Oman and India can play a vital role in checking and eliminating violence unleashed by the ISIS. Both the countries have joint military and naval exercises from time to time. India considers Oman as a strategic partner in the Gulf region and an important interlocutor in the Arab League context.

Indo-Oman economic ties are growing by leaps and bounds as more than 125 per cent rise in trade in the last five years according to Syed Akbaruddin, the spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs of India. There are more than 1,500 joint venture companies, which include Oman India Fertiliser Company (OMIFCO) in Sur and Bharat Refinery Limited (BORL) at Bina in Madhya Pradesh. Bilateral trade between India and Oman has crossed $5 billion and it is expected to surge past $6 million during the next financial year.

There is special Gujarati connection to Oman. Many Gujarati traders migrated to Oman in the nineteenth century. Their descendants are Omani citizens now. They speak Gujarati and Arabic. Oman boasts of the world’s first and only Hindu Shaikh in the Gulf region. Shaikh Kanakshi from the Khimji Ramdas family is the head of the rich Gujarati business community in Oman. The Khimji Ramdas family has a pie in everything from shipping industry to electronics to construction. You name it they have it. Oman follows a policy of religious tolerance. There are temples of Shiva, Rama in Muscat and Sohar. Hindus have their own cremation grounds. The temples and the churches are in close proximity in Muscat.

Urdu is widely spoken and understood in Oman. The Omani taxi drivers converse in Urdu apart from Arabic and English. Omanis are related to Indians by blood. Many young Omanis have Indian mothers. Many Hyderabadi and Mumbaikar women came to Oman as brides in the late 1980s and 1990s. Many Omanis are fond of Hyderabadi biryani and they watch bollywood films. Many of them can sing Hindi songs too. Bollywood producers are shooting their films in Oman. Medical tourism has brought both the countries together. Muscat is a new destination for Indian Fat Weddings.

Swaraj is likely to discuss about the concerns of the Indian expatriate community, which sends precious foreign exchange of $3 billion annually. If crude price does not improve in the near future it can have an impact on trade and industry. If employers decide to cut down on the work force, thousands of Indians may face the axe. India will stare at a huge crisis if that happens. The Indian government should come out with an emergency plan in case of that eventuality. New schemes of rehabilitation for returning Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) with bank support and educational needs of their children need to be tackled on a priority basis. Kerala, Tamilnadu, Telangana, Maharashtra governments and other state governments need to come out with a blue print for the NRIs.

Indo-Oman ties are set to grow further as both the countries share special bonds.

Ahmed Mohiuddin Siddiqui is a senior journalist, political analyst and a columnist. He is widely followed in Asia, Africa and Europe. Twitter handle: @jouropolana

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