Is India getting worse at diplomacy while being touted as the Vishwaguru?

If a string of recent cases is any indication, India's diplomatic performance vis-à-vis its citizens in distress in foreign lands is experiencing a downward spiral, writes Rejimon Kuttappan.

—

IN 2015, the late Union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj placed two telephone calls to the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia on March 27 and 29 seeking a safe passage for Indians stuck in war-torn Yemen.

Following the Arab Spring in 2011, Yemen was grappling with instability. Armed raids led by Houthi rebels, reportedly backed by Iran, were trying to gain control over the country and dislodge the government backed by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition of countries.

The coalition started airstrikes in the Houthi-controlled areas on March 15, 2015. However, Saudi-led bombings escalated the conflict into a full-scale war, rendering Yemen an unsafe haven.

It was then that Sushma sprang into action. As per estimates from the Indian Embassy in Sana'a then, over 4,000 Indians were working in various sectors in Yemen. The embassy issued three advisories urging Indians to leave Yemen.

Sushma and the then secretary (East) in the ministry Anil Wadhwa held meetings on a daily basis, and Operation Rahat was announced. Round-the-clock hotlines were set up, and the Indian embassy was moved out of Yemen and stationed in Djibouti just across the Red Sea.

When the Saudi minister assured a safe passage, three Indian navy warships— INS Sumitra, INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash— and two Indian passenger vessels— Kavaratti and Coral, were sent to Aden, Al-Hudaydah and Al-Mukalla ports in Yemen. Additionally, three Indian Air Force C-17 Globemasters and four Air India commercial aircraft were flown to the war zone.

Also read: Union government kept Nimisha's family in the dark about her death penalty in Yemen, alleges lawyer

The then deputy minister of external affairs General V.K. Singh was sent to the ground to coordinate the evacuation. Finally, in all, 4,741 Indians and 1,947 foreign nationals from 48 countries were brought to India safely.

During those days, whenever a crisis developed in a foreign land, even if it was a war or a terrorist attack, the external affairs ministry never sat idle.

Being a journalist in the Arab Gulf, I have personally seen how Indian diplomats in the Arab Gulf would act, effectively pulling all strings when they got phone calls from the Union minister herself or from her office. Whether it was an individual Indian case or a group of thousands stranded or held captive, the ministry would manage to find a happy ending.

The case of the rescue of 46 Indian nurses who were kept hostage by armed groups in Tikrit in Iraq, which was later made into a movie in Kerala titled Take Off and the case of the rescue of Christian priest Tom Uzhunnalil from the hands of Yemeni armed group, are just two examples of the diplomatic clout India had during this era and the commitment it showed towards saving Indian lives.

Unfortunately, in recent times that swift and effective action has been missing. Whether one looks at the evacuations done during the Covid outbreak, where the evacuees had to pay to be onboard even in Indian navy ships, or the Russo–Ukrainian war, where Indian citizens were left to run from pillar to post to be rescued, India's diplomatic and rescue instincts in foreign lands do not seem to have the same edge as before.

While the Indian government eventually managed to evacuate all of its citizens and students from Ukraine, the process was slow and chaotic, and many students were left feeling abandoned by their government. In contrast, the Indian response during the 2011 Libyan Civil War was swift and effective.

While the aforementioned examples illustrate past shortcomings, the latest series of recent failures include the death sentence meted out to eight former Indian navy officers in Qatar and the rejection of an Indian nurse's appeal against the death penalty by the Yemeni Supreme Court.

Also read: What legal options are available to eight former Indian navy officials sentenced to death in Qatar?

Even though the Indian external affairs ministry and government were aware of eight Indian sailors being jailed under "espionage" charges, with their cases heard in the Qatari court, the Indian government reportedly failed to take sufficient action until the Qatari court awarded the death sentence to all of them in October this year. The former Indian naval officers were arrested in August 2022.

Interestingly, even on October 19, when the Indian media asked about an update on the jailed Indian navy officers, Arindam Bagchi, the official spokesperson of the external affairs ministry, had said, "My understanding is that there was a last hearing, the seventh hearing, earlier this month. We are closely following the court proceedings in what is called the court of first instance.

"As I said, October 3, was the seventh hearing. We understand that a judgment is expected, in fact, later this month. Earlier, our ambassador and our deputy chief of mission met the eight men in prison on October 1, after they were granted consular access. This was on October 19 and the Qatar court had pronounced the death sentence on October 26."

After the death sentence verdict was announced, the ministry expressed its profound shock at the decision and is currently awaiting the comprehensive judgment.

In an official press release, the MEA revealed, "We are deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgment. We are in touch with the family members of the convicts and their legal team, and we are exploring all legal options."

Interestingly, the last sentence read, "Due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture."

As said, no update has been made officially after that.

Luckily, in the Qatar case, at least the ministry officially announced that they are in touch with the family members of the convicts and their legal team, and are exploring all legal options.

No such luck for the Indian nurse who has been awarded the death penalty in Yemen. The Indian government reportedly hid the final verdict from the nurse's family and lawyer for three days.

Also read: After a ten-day ordeal in Khartoum, a Keralite husband and his Sudanese wife will fly to India

These two cases, along with the prior crisis-led evacuation cases, indicate that the Indian external affairs ministry is falling short of its duty to protect citizens.

The incumbent Union minister will boast that the rise of India is unstoppable, gift a casket of relics of seventeenth-century Georgian Queen St. Ketevan to Georgia to provoke Russia and blast the US media for portraying India in a bad light. But when it comes to acting swiftly and leveraging diplomacy to save Indian lives, the ministry has fallen out of step.

Even in group evacuation cases, such as the Covid outbreak or the Russo–Ukraine war, the Indian government's delayed actions have raised questions about their effectiveness.

A few years ago, there was a row at the Indian embassy in Oman between the workers and the diplomats.

I was present when the disturbance occurred. One of the Indian diplomats said, "We are here for trade."

A worker responded sharply, "You are here only because we Indians are here."

The worker's words reinforced my belief that even in diplomacy, humanity and the protection of lives should come first. Power balance and trade can follow.