6
These paved the way for an interest convergence, and for the first time
since 1947, India and Saudi Arabia began learning to sidestep, if not
ignore, the persistent irritant that prevented them from developing closer
ties, namely, the Pakistan factor. While this was critical to the improvement
in relations, another contributing factor has been India’s growing confi-
dence. In some ways, the nuclear tests in May 1998 were a defining
moment. Though the US and its allies imposed punitive measures, India
withstood these sanctions and registered a continuous economic growth
since the early 1990s. These, in turn compelled the West, especially the
US, to come to terms with India’s growth story and in the process led to
greater regional and international engagements with New Delhi. They, in
turn, elicited a favourable response from countries like Saudi Arabia.
A politically confident and economically growing India found a willing
partner in Saudi Arabia. For long there were hesitations on both sides due
to past indifference. The visits of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to the
Kingdom in 1982 and of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal in
1981 proved insufficient to break the shackles of uncertainties and mutual
suspicions and misgivings. With hindsight, one could argue that a real
breakthrough happened in January 2001 when External Affairs Minister
Jaswant Singh visited the Kingdom. This was the first foreign minister–
level visit, also indicating the prolonged Indian apathy. Singh’s visit paved
the way for furthering the bilateral relations and shed past hesitations over
Pakistan in reaching out to the Kingdom. Even though there were
exchanges of business and trade delegations, Singh’s visit contributed to
the transformation of Indo-Saudi, and since 2001 there have been three
state visits between the two countries, including the visit of King Abdullah
to India in January 2006.
The fewer political contacts during the Cold War were accompanied by
two factors which maintained the flourishing of people-to-people con-
tacts, namely, haj and expatriate workers. The annual pilgrimage began
with the advent of Islam and the faithful assemblage of the largest congre-
gation of humanity in Mecca—the heart of Arabia—where Prophet
Mohammed was born and where he began preaching the new faith. The
Indian Muslim participation in the annual pilgrimage has always been sub-
stantial, and during the British Raj many Muslim ruling Nawabs, princes
and wealthy philanthropists generously contributed to the upkeep of the
Ka’aba and in the process earned respect and admiration of Arabs and
other Muslims.
P. R. KUMARASWAMY AND MD. M. QUAMAR