by PRANAY SHARMA
There’s a downside to the people of India taking pride in their country’s credentials of being the world’s largest democracy—street protests anywhere abroad inspires some to mount pressure on New Delhi for endorsing the agitating throng unequivocally. This sentiment came to the fore again this week as the upheaval in Egypt prompted a demand from the chattering classes that New Delhi should substitute its weak, cautious support with an expression of strong approval of those pouring into Cairo streets against President Hosni Mubarak. These sections must have drawn solace from foreign minister S.M. Krishna’s belated comments on February 2 that “the people of Egypt are fairly clear in their thinking and their action and those who are ruling Egypt must see the writing on the wall.”
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Thus it is that Krishna’s remarks came within hours of US President Barack Obama demanding an immediate, peaceful, meaningful change in Egypt.
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To this rage of the street add long-festering problems of the region—the Palestine-Israel issue, instability in Iraq, the fear of Iran’s controversial nuclear programme—and you know this changing, unstable West Asia demands a careful, calibrated rethink of India’s policy. This is imperative in the light of India’s high stakes in the region. It has a diaspora of over 5.5 million living and working there. Billions of dollars are received as remittance every year from these people. The region is also India’s main source of energy as its largest trading bloc, the two-way trade worth a whopping $110 billion. Besides, West Asia has many sites where Muslims go on pilgrimage, including Haj, and is becoming an important destination for Indian tourists.
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