Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO: 2347-3150 Indo- Relations During the Cold War Era: Historical Perspective

Dr. Shamim Ahmad Wagay

Post Doctorate Fellow at Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)

New Delhi, Affiliating Institution University of Kashmir.

Abstract:

India and Saudi Arabia are enjoying the deep cordial cultural and historical relations from time immemorial. The economic relations between the two emerging global powers i.e. and Saudi Arabia date back to the third millennium BC. By 1000AD, the trade relations between southern India and Arabia flourished and emerged the backbone of Arabia economy. Soon after the independence of India in 1947 formal relations between India and Saudi Arabia were established. With the passage of time the relations between the two countries were cemented owing to the collaboration in regional and economic affairs. India as being the second largest populace country in the globe is the third largest energy consumer of world and Saudi Arabia being the largest energy supplier to India. Moreover, Saudi Arabia is home to the largest Indian diaspora in the world. Round about 3 million expatriates have been residing in Saudi Arabia and are contributing a countable contribution to Saudi Economy. Saudi as being the Islamic State with holy 'Mecca' and holy 'Madeena' where Muslims across the globe used to perform their fundamental religious duty of Hajj and Umra every year, further cements the relations of two countries for India is a country which houses the second largest Muslim population in the world. About 400,000 Indians go to the kingdom of Saudia Arabia in order to perform the Hajj or Umra annually. In this article, the Indo- Saudi Arabia relations in its width and length is examined to understand their bilateral relations in the light of Cold War Era.

Keywords: Relations, Support, Influence, War, visit, Holy.

Introduction

India and Saudi Arabia has long historical relations with each other. Large number of Indians used to go Arabia for different purposes which include study medicines and business. With the flourishing of in 7th Centaury AD Arabians especially traders spread the teachings of Islam in the Coastal Towns of , Gujarat and other adjacent areas. Consequently this lead to visits by large number of Indian Muslims to pilgrimage zones in Mecca, Madeena, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Najaf, Karbala, Mashhad, Cairo and other religious centres. With the passage of time sea trade of India passed into the direct clutches of Arabs who began to overpower the Red Sea, Gulf region and Indian Ocean. A large number of Indian began to establish their trade centres in Holy land which further acted as an agent of cementing relations between two regions. A huge quantity of Cotton, textiles, silk, spices, gems and

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Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO: 2347-3150 other commodities were exported thorough Indian Ships from Kolkata, Surat and Mumbai to . The Arab traders made a handsome profit out of Indian imports which were further transhipped to Suez and Europe especially to Venice and Gonoa.1 It is note worthy that Aurangzeb between 1661 and 1667 received "complementary embassies" from several foreign Muslim powers such as Sheriff of Mecca and others to neutralize his harsh treatment of his father and brother. It was also customary for rich Indian Princess to offer lavish gift on Sheriff of Mecca and the Holy Places as the Hashimi Family had ruled Mecca since the 11th Century A.D. 2 Abdul Aziz popularly known as Ibn Saudon on August 29, 1924 began his military campaign against Hejaz by advancing towards Taif which surrendered without a major struggle. As a series of events ensued, Ibn Saud captured Mecca, Madeena and the entire Hejaz. Ibn Saud later declared himself King of Hejaz on January 8 1926. He successfully came across opposition both at internal and external dimensions. Furthermore, in spite of swift recognition of King Saud of Hejaz by the European Powers, he was bound to to legitimize his position as a King in the eyes of the Islamic world which had started with prejudice against Wahabism and had been scandalized by the violence with which the Puritans had supressed the cult of saints in the conquered holy land.3 Ibn Saud was well aware of the fact that the inhabitants of Hejaz and more specially the followers of Sheriff of Mecca have some grievances which must be solved at an earliest in order to gain the confidence of the people. King Abdul Aziz called an international conference to legitimize his position as the King of Hejaz, protector of Holy Land and also to gain the support of Islamic World. King Aziz mad a proclamation to the Muslim world asking them to nominate their respective representatives for forthcoming conference in Hejaz in order to have a threadbare discussion regarding the future of Holy Places. Consequently the Islamic conference was held on June 7, 1926 at Mecca during the month of 'Zil Haj' and was attended by 60 delegates from all over the globe including Indian Muslim Community which was led by the Ali Brothers the Khilafat Committee members. The Indian members sent to Mecca achieved little as they became embroiled in mediatory efforts to reconcile the status of Hashamite.4

Indo-Arab Relation before the Islamic Revolution of 1979

India and Saudi Arabia are two significant powers in their own regional environs. In fact, India is a rising power at global sphere. Both of these countries enjoy vital power and yield influence further than their neighbourhood. They share several common interests. As mentioned earlier Indo- Saudi Arabia relations date back to several millennia but formal relations were established in 1948 soon after independence of India. However, this

1 A.K Pasha, " Security and safety aspects of Haj," The Pioneer, May 24, 1997, Mohan Guruswamy " Dealing with Saudi Arabia: Beware of Unholy Bias" Indian Express, May 9, 1997; Times of India, April 24, 1997. 2 A.K. Pasha, India and West Asia: Continuity and Change, Gyan Sagar Publications, New Delhi, 1999 pp. 144- 145. 3 Ibid, p.146 4 A.k Pasha, India and Turkey: Past and Emerging Relations, Academic Excellence, New Delhi, 2006, pp 79-80, see alsso Uri M. Kupfereschmidt, " The General Muslim Congress of 1931 in Jerusalem", Asian and African Studies (aifa) vol. 12, No 1, March 1978, p 126.

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Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO: 2347-3150 relationship has never entirely realised its desired potential since official establishment of mutual relationships due to one or other reason. Kashmir factor was the first factor that effected Indo-Saudi bilateral relations. During King Saud bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud's visit to Pakistan in 1953, he expressed his country's political support to Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. Another factor which hampered their bilateral relations was recognition of Israel in 1950 by India, this was also perceived negatively in the region by Arab world Including Saudi Arabia as Palestine was their central issue; though it was also a known fact that India Supported Palestine. 5 The Pakistan factor in Indo-Saudi bilateral relations was crucial because of Saudi position of Islamic brotherhood. However, even before the independence Indian leaders have expressed their fascination towards Saudi Arabia. For example, about the depression of 1930, praising King Nehru wrote, "despite serious difficulties being faced by the Kingdom he did not look for outside help" 6 However, the era soon after independence witnessed abrupt change in their relations certainly due to the Nehruvian architecture of Indian foreign policy and Indian supported to Arab position in the question of Palestine. With the passage of time the relations between the two growing powers began to develop, King Saud bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia visited India in 1955. It was first ever by head of the state of any two countries to the other. During this visit the two countries resolved to strengthen their bilateral relations by enhancing cooperation in cultural, political, and economic fields. This historic visit was reciprocated by Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in September 1956. It is important to note that when Nehru arrived in , he was greeted with the slogan "Marhaba - Rasool Al-Salam' which led to a lot of unnecessary controversy deliberately created or otherwise. There were jealousy and resentment in Pakistan. The Saudi Embassy in Pakistan issued a statement explaining that the phrase meant "Welcome Messenger of Peace" and not "Welcome Prophet of Peace"7 . Both the leaders emphasised that "a peaceful and non- militant approach to the issues which divided the world is an urgent necessity"8. These highly visits indicated growing closeness of two countries but these cordial relations did not endure for a long time. Post 1950's some major international and regional political developments had an impact on Indo-Saudi bilateral relations. The politics of Cold War saw India and Saudi Arabia at different ends of the political spectrum. 9 The India's close relations with Soviet Union also served a source of consternation between the two countries as Saudi Arabia had found a close alley in USA. The two most common reasons for Indo-Saudi estrangements were first close Indo-Egyptian relations and second Saudi-Pakistan relations. It was Nehru's endorsement of Naseer as the sole and undisputed leader of the resurgent Arab nationalism that complicated India's relations with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia felt threatened by the radical Arabism espoused by Naseer and it prompted him "to restore to Pan-Islamism as a counter strategy, as a development India sought to resist and undermine by supporting Naseer". 10 Saudi Arabia looked at Nehru's support of Naseer with mistrust and antipathy.

5 Nazeer Zubair, Fatah Mudassir, India Saudi Arabia Relations: Geopolitical and Strategic Importance, The Voice: An international Refereed Journal, Vol. III, No. 4, Oct-Dec. 2016, p. 126. 6 Saimon Riju, Indo-Saudi Relations in the Post-Cold War Era : A Reading, International Journal of Research, Vol. 6, Issue 2, Feb 2019. 7 Prithvi Ram Mudiam, India and the , I.B. Tauris, London, 1994, p. 86 8 Ibid., p. 87 9 Op.cit., No. 5, p. 126 10 Ibid., P.88.

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Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO: 2347-3150 Consequently, Indio-Egyptian relationships along with Pakistan's mission for Islamic Unity worked against India and deformed Indo-Saudi relations at large.

Indo-Saudi Arabia relations further weakened during 1965 Indo-Pakistan war. Saudi Arabia sided with Pakistan and accused India for being the aggressor. Even Saudi Arabia Embassy issued a statement on Karachi declared "India was committing aggression against Pakistan as well as Kashmiri people". Also, "Amir Mishal, brother of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia and Governor of Mecca, along with other leading families of Jeddah, volunteered to fight for Pakistan against India". 11 India was not endorsed to become a member of the Organisation of Islamic Conference which was time-honoured in 1969 mostly because India could not gain the support of Riyadh, the most prominent member of the OIC. With the result India couldn't play a geopolitical and geostrategic role in the region. During the Indo-Pakistan war in 1971 that lead to the liberation of Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia repeated the history and came once again in support of Pakistan. Saudia Arabia declared official support to the Pakistan and helped her both financially and diplomatically. In December 1971, after a Cabinet meeting the Saudi government said that, "the nations of the world should condemn India for committing naked aggression against Pakistan. King Faisal proposed a special conference of the Muslim Countries to give moral and material support to Pakistan against aggression". 12 Saudia Arabia's global significance increased due to the reason of oil boom in early 1970s, rise of Islamic renaissance acted as a fuel in strengthening the importance of Saudi Arabia. Due to this global significance of Saudi Arabia it became aught and necessary for India to try to stabilise the exploitation by the Pakistan. In connection with the funeral ceremony of King Faisal in 1975 President of India Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad visited Saudia Arabia, there were high level political visits between the two countries which proved to be strong boosting agent in Indo-Saudi Arabia relationships. This period is regarded as the new political commencement in the Sub-continent as a result of Shimla Agreement on 2 July 1972 between India and Pakistan in the capital city of the Indian state Himachal Pradesh and the release of 93000, Pakistan's prisoners of war. Sheikh Ahmad Zaki Yamani, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia visited India in February 1975.13 During this visit he agreed that there was huge scale for mutual co-operation between the India and Saudi Arbia. He said "we shall seek India's technical collaboration in important fields of economic activities".14 Both the leaders discussed all the possibilities of setting up joint ventures in drugs, fertilizers and petro-chemicals. The more important was bridging the communication gap of long neglected relations.

Indo-Saudi Arabia Relations after the Islamic Revolution of 1979

After the Islamic revolution in Iran and downfall of Pahlavi dynasty under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in Iran, the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan on 24 December 1976 and the outburst of full-blown war between Iran and Iraq on 22 September 1980 only fuelled to strengthen and to inflame the aged mistrust and trepidation between India and Saudi Arabia.

11 Hassan Askari Rizvi, Pakistan and the Geo strategic Environment: A Study of Foreign Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 1993, p. 72 12 Hameed A.K. Rai, Pakistan Foreign Policy, Vol.II, Aziz Publishers, Lahore, 1981, p. 813 13 Annual Report of (AR), 1974-75, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), New Delhi, 1975, p 46. 14 The Times of India, February 12, 1975.

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Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO: 2347-3150 For India didn't condemn the Soviet incursion into Afghanistan and was also able to maintain cordial relation between both Tehran and Baghdad even during Iraq-Iran war. Saudi Arabia's domestic vulnerability, its fear over Khomeini's brand of Islamic fundamentalism engulfing the whole region and the substantial Soviet military presence in Afghanistan only helped to increase Saudi acute sense of insecurity which drove her headlong into closer and more extensive military relationships with USA and Pakistan. Saudi Arabia started to feel insecure and questioned Washington's commitment to its security. This insecurity increased due to continuing war in the Gulf and Israel- Lebanon conflicts (1978 & 1982). Saudi Arabia recognised limitations of over dependence on military cooperation with Pakistan. Saudi Arabia realised that its good relations with Pakistan should not come in the way of developing good relations with India. Saudi Arabia Sough to develop the good relations with India. Thus there was a break in communication gap between Saudi Arabia and India. 15 That resulted in the visit of the Saudi foreign Minster, Prince Saud Al- Faisal to India in April 1981. At a news conference, Prince Faisal expressed his unease at the superpower military power build-up in the Gulf "as it creates more tension than stability", which was also the point of view of the Indian leaders. Both the countries agreed that the Afghanistan issue should be resolved leading to the elimination of "foreign military presence"16 Both Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal and Indian Foreign Minister Mr. Narasimha Rao agreed that the Afghan problem shall be resolved through peaceful political negotiations. At the end of the day at a press conference Prince Faisal clearly came with the statement that the Saudi Arabia did not view her bilateral relations with any country in the light of her ties with a third country.

To revitalize bilateral ties India's Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi visited Riyadh in April 1982, the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister since Nehru's 1956 visit. This visit was watched with a great deal of interest through out the region. Mrs. Gandhi's visit was generally seen as a successful effort to establish new bridges between this leader of the Arab world and Hindu India, a nation which has the third largest Muslim population (now second largest) in the world. During this visit various issues of mutual concern were discussed and a close cooperation was sought especially on economic front and peace in South Asia. Even after this visit, bilateral relations failed to yield much. In fact, the relationship got strained due to several factors such as eruption of militancy in Kashmir in 1989, India's neutrality during Gulf crisis (1990-1991), Babri Masjid demolition, and Saudi Arabia's support to Pakistan in the UN on human rights Violation in Kashmir.17

Conclusion:

While concluding the above analysis certain simple findings are before us. Firstly India and Saudia Arabia has long historical connections with each other which date back to third millennia. Secondly, India houses the second largest Muslim Population of the global i.e. about 172 million people. Thirdly, there are about three million Indians in Saudi Arabia

15 Op.cit., No. 5, p. 127 16 Op.cit., No. 7, p. 93-94 17 Op.cit., No. 5, p. 128

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Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO: 2347-3150 working in different sectors of the Kingdom and are making a valuable contribution to the Saudia workforce and economy, while also being responsible for substantive remittances to the Indian Economy. Fourthly, there has been seen various up and downs in the bilateral relations between the two countries during the Cold War period, however various efforts has been put by both the countries to overhaul their mutual relations. Fifthly, it has also been analysed that how Pakistan factor proved to be the giant destructor of Indo-Saudi Arabia relationships using the Islamic card. Sixthly, India's policy of non-alignment and non- intervention in the matters of other countries boosted their mutual relations, which Mrs. Indira Gandhi the then Prime Minister of India stated at a press conference on the issue of Soviet Incursion in Afghanistan and US intervention in Gulf Countries.

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