Riyadh to Delhi

Of course,netting Ansari required some persuasion and a DNA test from India. But the fact that he has been handed over is a mark of how much has changed in the India-Saudi Arabia relationship that was,for long,one of the least explored and exploited. That began changing with King Abdullah’s visit to India in 2006 and the signing of the Delhi Declaration,followed by the Riyadh Declaration during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s return visit in 2010. The Riyadh Declaration,along with several agreements and the extradition treaty,built on the opportunities created by the Delhi Declaration to strengthen Indo-Saudi ties on issues ranging from security and defence to energy. India’s long-term strategic understanding with Saudi Arabia started deepening,not least because of the latter’s geopolitical significance and the close link between the Gulf and the subcontinent on security issues. Even as Riyadh engages in pro-active diplomacy,keeping in mind a potentially nuclear Iran and its own need to maintain a stable global oil regime,India must maintain its engagement with a pragmatic international player that has grasped the emerging world order and seeks to broaden its foreign and security engagements as envisioned in King Abdullah’s “Look East” policy.

In the present circumstances,little can be expected of Pakistan,where the civilian government has never had significant control over the terror apparatus. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have been close since the 1970s,and Riyadh will continue to be influential in Islamabad,playing a key role in shaping the Af-Pak future,which has a direct bearing on India. That Saudi Arabia is India’s biggest oil supplier and India is a top-ranking Saudi oil importer may be the foundation of bilateral ties but Ansari’s arrest hints at the relationship’s larger potential.