Ensuring safety of 10 million Indians in Gulf 'utmost priority', says MEA

MEA says safety of nearly 10 million Indians in the Gulf is of utmost priority as the West Asia conflict escalates; PM Modi engages regional leaders amid rising tensions

India on Tuesday said it raises its “voice clearly in favour of an early end to the conflict” in West Asia, which has evoked “great anxiety” since almost 10 million Indian citizens live and work in the Gulf region. It said their security of “utmost priority” for the government.

 

The statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday evening said that India’s trade and energy supplies traverse that geography, and any major disruption has serious consequences for the Indian economy. “Government will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and take relevant decisions in the national interest,” it said.

 

 

The statement came in the wake of demands from Opposition parties, including Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, the Left parties, and some religious groups, that India should condemn the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israel military strike. The MEA’s statement, however, did not mention the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader. 

 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said Prime Minister Modi must speak up and answer as to whether he supports the assassination of a head of state as a way to define the world order. He said the unilateral attacks on Iran, as well as Iran’s attacks on other West Asian nations, must be condemned. “Silence now diminishes India’s standing in the world,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said on X.

 

Rahul Gandhi said escalating hostilities between the US, Israel and Iran are pushing a fragile region toward wider conflict. Millions, including nearly 10 million Indians, face uncertainty, he said. “While security concerns are real, attacks that violate sovereignty will only worsen the crisis. The unilateral attacks on Iran, as well as Iran's attacks on other Middle Eastern nations, must be condemned. Violence begets violence - dialogue and restraint remain the only path to peace,” Rahul Gandhi said, and also posted Sonia Gandhi’s views on the subject published in a leading daily on Tuesday morning.

 

“India must be morally clear. We should have the courage to speak plainly in defence of international law and human lives. Our foreign policy is rooted in sovereignty and the peaceful resolution of disputes—and it must remain consistent,” he said. He said Modi must speak up. Does he support the assassination of a head of state as a way to define the world order, he asked.

 

Earlier, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi said the Modi government's silence on the targeted assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is not neutral but an abdication, and raises serious doubts about the direction and credibility of India's foreign policy. She also demanded that when Parliament reconvenes for the second part of the Budget session, the government's "disturbing silence" over the breakdown of international order must be debated openly and without evasion.

 

Left parties on Tuesday held a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar against the US-Israel attack on Iran and the killing of Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, accusing the Union government of maintaining silence on the issue.

 

The MEA’s statement said that the “safety and well-being” of 10 million Indian nationals working and living in the region is of “utmost priority”. “We cannot be impervious to any development that negatively affects them,” it said.

 

Referring to Indian nationals who lost their lives in attacks on merchant shipping, the MEA said: “As a country whose nationals are prominent in the global workforce, India is also firmly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping.” Already, some Indian nationals have lost their lives or are missing as a result of such attacks in the past few days, it said.

 

Sources in the government argued that their topmost concern is to ensure the safety of the 9-10 million Indian nationals and People of Indian Origin (PIOs), most of whom live and work in the Gulf countries which have faced attacks from Iran. They also pointed out that most countries of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) have refrained from issuing a statement on the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader.

 

Of the 9 million non-resident Indians (NRIs) living in the region, most live in Saudi Arabia (2.46 million), the UAE (3.54 million), Bahrain (323,908), Kuwait (993,284), Oman (684,771), Qatar (835,175), and Jordan (16,897). None of these have issued any statement on Khamenei’s death. Iran has 10,320, Iraq 17,100, and Israel has 20,000 NRIs.

 

The MEA said India’s trade and energy supply chains traverse the region. “Any major disruption has serious consequences for the Indian economy,” it said. As a proximate neighbour with critical stakes in the security and stability of the region, the developments in West Asia “evoke great anxiety,” it said.

 

The MEA said India had expressed its deep concern at the commencement of the conflict in Iran and the Gulf region on February 28. “Even at that time, India had urged all sides to exercise restraint, avoid escalation and prioritise the safety of civilians,” it said.

 

“Unfortunately, in the holy month of Ramadan, the situation in the region has deteriorated significantly and continuously,” the MEA said. In recent days, we have witnessed not only an intensification of the conflict but also its spread to other nations, it said, adding that destruction and deaths have mounted, even as normal life and economic activities come to a halt.

 

“In this background, India strongly reiterates its call for dialogue and diplomacy. We raise our voice clearly in favour of an early end to the conflict,” the MEA said. Already, many lives have regrettably been lost, and we express our grief in that regard, it said.

 

Indian missions in the affected countries remain in close touch with Indian nationals and community organisations, issuing regular advisories as appropriate, the MEA said. They have also extended all possible help to those stranded by the conflict, it said.

 

The Indian government has been in touch with the governments of the region as well as other key partners. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have held discussions with their counterparts, it said.

 

On Tuesday, the PM spoke to Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman, Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of Qatar. He condemned any violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.

 

In his telephonic conversations, Modi also discussed with the two leaders the welfare and security of the Indian community residing there. Iran, in retaliation for the US-Israel offensive in which Khamenei was killed, has fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf, as well as at the global business and aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha.

 

On Monday, Modi spoke to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the King of Bahrain, Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan’s King, Abdullah II. On Sunday evening, the PM spoke to United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

 

India on Tuesday advised its nationals in Iran to exercise utmost caution and remain indoors as far as possible as the security situation in the Persian Gulf nation deteriorated in view of fresh military strikes by the US and Israel.

 

(with PTI inputs)