What is behind Gulf Arab countries criminal silence against India over Occupied Kashmir crisis?
Shares
ISLAMABAD - What is behind Gulf Arab countries criminal silence against India over Occupied Kashmir crisis?
Gulf Arab countries have been silent mostly against India over Occupied Kashmir cause, according to experts, because of the volume of trade they enjoy with India. It comes to roughly $100 billion, wrote AP Middle East on Thursday in an analysis.
Saudia Arabia has urged “restraint”. There were no statements from Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. The UAE said it was an “internal” matter. Its trade volume with India was $50 billion in 2018.
There are over 7 million Indians who work in Arab countries as labourers, doctors, engineers and teachers.
Another key ally for Pakistan, Turkey, has just $7 billion in trade with India. It has backed Pakistan. Iran has issued statements calling for talks and peace but not much more.
But the biggest move came from Saudi Arabia’s Aramco which poured $15 billion into India’s Reliance at the start of the week. The Saudi crown prince has said they would be investing $100 billion more in the years to come.
These developments were met with criticism and dismay from Muslims who have been following the Kashmir crisis since August 5 when Indian troops put the disputed territory on lockdown and scrapped a part of the law that gave Kashmir special status.
It was on August 14 that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s 57 members issued a statement which was tweeted: “OIC General Secretariat has learnt with concern the reports of curtailment of religious freedoms of #Kashmiri Muslims in the #Indian Occupied Jammu and #Kashmir, including complete lockdown even on the auspicious occasion of #Eid, denying #EidAlAdha congregation.”
