Insights

Insight 306: India, the Arab Gulf Countries and the Pakistan Factor

Khurram Abbas
- November 28, 2023

Series Introduction

India-Middle East Relations: Opportunities and Challenges

With the United States shifting its security focus from the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific, other major powers are seen as potential players that might fill the void in Middle East security. The fact that India is one such player is further manifested in the recently announced India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor.

This series of Insights seeks to unravel the evolutionary paths that the growing multifaceted connections between India and the Middle East might take and the challenges arising. India’s relationship with Israel, especially under the purview of the I2U2 partnership, which also includes the United Arab Emirates and the United States, has in particular generated much curiosity among observers. India’s longstanding economic ties with the GCC countries, along with its ties with Iraq and Iran, have added to the strategic significance of the Middle East for India and given it strong reasons for a greater role in the Middle East.

By Khurram Abbas*

On the deep-rooted rivalry between India and Pakistan, particularly on the Kashmir issue, the Saudi-led GCC countries had long lent diplomatic and strategic support to Islamabad. For instance, Saudi Arabia supported Pakistan during the 1965 and 1971 wars against India. However, in the past few years, the GCC countries have been trying to adopt an equidistant approach towards India and Pakistan. For instance, rather than supporting Pakistan, the GCC countries remained neutral and offered mediation during the February 2019 India-Pakistan tensions. This paper observes that the shift in the GCC countries’ stance is due in part to Pakistan’s reluctance to play a proactive role in conflicts in the Middle East. New Delhi’s growing economic, political and diplomatic clout is another important factor in the shift in the GCC countries’ stance.

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Image Caption: (L) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a joint press briefing in New Delhi on 20 February 2019. Money Sharma/AFP. (R) Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan Anwaarul Haq Kakar and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a meeting in Riyadh on 12 November 2023. “X” (Twitter) account of Pakistan Prime Minister.