Hyderabad, January 28: President Ali Abdullah Saleh has left Yemen but not his presidency. Sitting in his temporary abode in Oman, before leaving for the US, he sends a message to President of India Pratibha Patil on January 24 congratulating her on the Republic’s 63rd anniversary. That’s not all. He tells his people that he would return to Yemen and lead his General’s People’s Congress.
There is something seriously wrong with Saleh, as is the case with all dictators. They come to power on the promise of ‘early elections and reforms in the interest of the country’ and never leave unless they are forced out.
India has specified its stand on the situation in Syria. It wants Bashar al Assad to give in to demands of pro-democracy groups, but it has not said so in so many words to Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh. India is interested in peaceful transfer of power, the prospects of which are becoming brighter in Yemen.
There is a reason for this softer approach. India-Yemen relations date back, in modern history, to the times of British Raj. Yemen was ruled by the British from the Bombay Presidency beginning 1839 up to 1937. The Indian rupee became the official currency there. Dr Ausaf Sayeed, India’s ambassador to Yemen, told TOI during a recent personal visit to Hyderabad that thousands of Indians began living in Aden and other parts of that country during the British rule. That made Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi visit Aden where they were warmly received.
Dr Sayeed, a Hyderabadi of Arab origin, said that two sets of people from Yemen, especially from Hadramaut in the south, have made India, more specifically the Deccan, their home. The first group comprised Sayyids, the descendants of the family of Prophet Mohammed, who came to India and got involved in the preaching of religious thoughts, particularly Sufism. They set up khankhas or hospices. The other group, bigger in number, came in search of greener pastures and got employment in the armies of native rulers in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Hyderabad. In Hyderabad, some of them rose to become part of the Nizam’s nobility while the others entered the ruler’s ‘irregular army.’ After independence those Yemenis who were married to Indian women or were children of mixed marriages decided to stay back. Their neighbourhood with unique Arab cultural traits is known as Barkas.
The historical connection apart, the assessment made by the ministry of external affairs India says India would continue to enjoy special status whoever comes to power in Yemen. India has showed the grit to stay put in Sana when numerous other embassies were closing down their shops. While maintaining good relations with the senior functionaries of the government India did not antagonize any of the major groups fighting for the ouster of Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Vice-President Field Marshal Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has emerged as the consensus candidate for presidency. Now is the time to prepare for transition and the drafting of new constitution thereafter.
The impoverished Yemen is sitting on large deposits of petroleum and other mineral resources. The US would like to retain Yemen as an ally. But it is concerned about al Qaida improving upon its presence there. The Saudis want a friendly government that can be talked into dealing with several outstanding issues, including the disputed borders. India has shown the willingness and the capacity for exploring and refining oil.
Let’s continue to watch Yemen against this backdrop.
Courtesy: TOI