A stellar role by India not saluted duly

It is rather unfortunate that a well-coordinated, even risky, Operation Rahat organised by the government to evacuate nearly 4,000 Indians working in war-torn Yemen got ignored and worse, got embroiled in an unseemly tiff between a minister and the media.It is unfortunate because the Indian effort helped out a large number of expatriates and mission staffs of several countries who thanked and praised India’s role. Twenty-six nations, including the USA, France and Germany, sought help in evacuating their citizens. During such operations, one does not differentiate between friends and perceived foes. If Indians evacuated stranded Pakistani nationals, so did Pakistan. The help to Pakistan was crucial because its Ambassador to Yemen, Dr Irfan Yousuff Shami, is widely reported, in Pakistani media, abroad and on social media, of having abandoned his staff and evacuated himself, leaving the stranded people, mostly poor workers, behind.

The Tribune, Pakistan, reported: “While hundreds of Pakistanis remain stranded in war-torn Yemen, the Pakistani ambassador to the Gulf state and his staff returned home, leaving expats in a state of confusion as their evacuation without a diplomatic mission becomes more difficult.”Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Saudi monarch, King Salman to offer cooperation and seek help, particularly ceasing of aerial bombing on Sanaa to facilitate evacuation. This was agreed and carried out. It helped thousands of men to return home and meet their loved ones. The man coordinating Operation Rahat from Djibouti was Minister of State for External Affairs, General (retd) V K Singh. Reports are that he walked the streets, picked up the stranded people and organised their movement to airport and to the port to be flown or sailed out of Yemen. There was hardly a mention of this on the Indian TV nework.

Gen. Singh while speaking to some journalists joked that his mission was "not as exciting as his visit to Pakistan embassy.” It related to his remark on the social media of feeling “disgust” at having to attend the Pakistan national Day function. He was doing his official duty and should have had no reason to go public on how he felt. For a former soldier, he showed a surprising inclination to let his sentiments be known publicly.Worse was his jibe at his effort from Djibouti being ignored by the media. He could have avoided it. But worst was his remark to call the media ‘presstitutes.’ He compounded it by alleging that he was being attacked at the behest of the “arms lobby” and then qualifying his regret to “90 per cent of the media.”

This was un-soldierly and unbecoming as a minister and a lawmaker, who would have dealt with the media, with all the risks involved, both in and out of the uniform. His being a politician does not take away his experience, nor does it bestow a licence to be uncivil while expressing his views.Consigned to total oblivion was a sterling effort that deserved cudos. Indians carried out the evacuation in the face of severe obstacles. The evacuees and the evacuators were on the ground that even the Saudi Arabian military is not touching. A resolution of the National Assembly has prevented Pakistan’s Nawaz Sharif Government to officially enter the conflict on the side of the Saudi-led coalition. But Pakistan Army is in Saudi for training and for military exercise. Pakistan Air force forms the bulk of the Saudi force in Yemen. Yet, Paksitani soldiers are not landing in Yemenese cities for fear of being killed by Houthis, the Shia militia.

Sterling, but quiet role was played by Air India that had established a world record of biggest evacuation of over one lakh persons from Kuwait in 1990. From Yemen, it carried 488 people through three special flights from Sana’a on April 5. A day later, it was reported to have evacuated 574 people from Sana’a to Djibouti, described as the single largest evacuation by air in a day. The Indian Air Force had dispatched its C-17s on April 2, and brought back 358 Indians. Air operations could not be adequate. The Government of India then decided to take sea route to rescue the expatriates stranded in Aden, a port city.

Two merchant vessels and two warships destroyer INS Mumbai and stealth frigate, INS Tarkash also left for Yemen, to help ferry other stranded expatriates back home. The government had also pressed into service INS Sumitra to ensure the safety and security of the passengers from pirates.The Shipping Corporation of India also sent two passenger ships Kavaratti and Corals. In all, India sent five ships to Yemen. Small boats were used to transport Indians from Aden harbor onto the naval vessels that could not enter the ports due to heavy aerial bombing. Most aircraft and ships landed in Mumbai and in Kochi. The evacuees were then transported to their hometowns by Indian Railways that arranged their free travel. All this surely needed better recognition that it has received.

By Mahendra Ved