Round The World

New Delhi, 3 August 2016

Evacuating Diaspora

STRATEGIC SECURITY PLAN VITAL

By Amrita Banerjee

(School of International Studies, JNU, New Delhi)

Whether it is Operation Raahat in Yemen, Operation Safe Homecoming in Libya, Operation Sukoon in Lebanon, 1990 airlift of Indians from Kuwait or Operation Sankat Mochan last month wherein 156 Indians were rescued safely from Juba, South Sudan, evacuation operations have become a recurrent phenomenon in the world today dominated by realism concerns where power and national security find prominence.

Undeniably, these strategic mass evacuations have become an intermittent feature with immense pressure on Governments ‘to do something very quickly’. True, these large-scale evacuation attempts have been lauded not only by the Indians staying abroad but globally especially in case of the brave Operation Raahat during the 2015 military intervention by Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen.

Pertinently, in that operation alone, India evacuated about 6000 people including citizens from 26 nations such as the US, France, UK, Russia and neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Undoubtedly, India has proved its merit through these successful evacuation operations but certain concerns still remain. Usually in times of a crisis like an armed conflict which has the ability to escalate suddenly, the reaction time available with the Foreign Ministry, Indian embassies and missions abroad is extremely short.

Considering that India has a 25 million strong Indian Diaspora worldwide, quick and correct decision making becomes a necessity which requires the availability of maximum number of operational assets to support a successful large-scale evacuation.

Moreover, a recent study by the Takshashila Institution has estimated that it will take between 11-37 days under certain constraints, to evacuate less than half of the Indians from Riyadh using commercial as well as military aircrafts. Needless to say, this statistics does not speak very highly about India’s preparedness in times of crisis.

However, there are a number of ways in which the Government can address this situation. One, secure rights to use assets which are not under direct Government control. Recall, the earlier evacuations have primarily been driven by the Indian Navy, Air Force and Air India.

Hence, there is a need for a policy in which the Government can call for aircraft and ships which are under private operators. To make this possible, there should be a licensing clause with commercial airlines which mandates that they will make their aircraft and crew available during crises times for evacuation operations anywhere in the world.

Two, have standing agreements between Indian embassies/missions abroad and private logistics operators. Before evacuation by ship or aircraft, the widely dispersed Diaspora might need to be transported by road to the centralized evacuation airport or port.

Thus, a standing agreement with international logistics companies and transport operators with insurance liabilities would facilitate immediate movement of the people to the focal point of evacuation.

Three, forge agreements with friendly countries for sea and air bases. Assuming that the host country bases are not usable for obvious reasons in times of stress, the Government should have arrangements with friendly countries in every region where there is a high concentration of Diaspora.

As air evacuation would be the fastest, having access to safe airfields close to conflict zones would be highly desirable. This will need to take into consideration territoriality issues and sovereignty for operating Indian military and civil aircrafts.

Clearly, the need of the hour is a clear cut policy on evacuations of Indians abroad in event of a crisis. While the US State Department has laid down clear guidelines for American citizens on what to expect during a disaster situation, a similar Indian policy, if it exists, cannot be found on the MEA website.

It cannot be denied that the embassy staff abroad too would be under extreme stress in case of an emergency or a conflict situation. In fact, the evacuation of Indians has become increasingly challenging owing to factors like the host country’s politics and strife, geo-political shifts, the Indian Government’s stand on various issues, our own domestic politics etc. It is therefore, essential that the Central Government has a stated policy on Diaspora evacuation.

Additionally, a clear coherent policy on evacuation will also help clear the mistrust between the Central and State governments in our federal set up. The standoff between the Kerala and the Centre over evacuation of Indians from Libya in May is a testimony of this distrust.

Recollect how Kerala’s former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy underscored that the Centre only cared to ‘sympathise’ with the plight of stranded Indians and not the return of Indian citizens from Kerala.

Certainly, this allegation against the Central Government might have been politically motivated as Assembly elections were due therein. Nevertheless, a policy which spells evacuation would help the Government to stand in good stead.

Besides, as India aspires to become an important global power in the near future it would need the consistent support of the Indian Diaspora. But this diasporic population also need to be reassured of all possible help from the Government and its capacity to act in their interests should the need arise without offending their host foreign Governments.

Indeed, no Prime Minister has gone so far out to court overseas Indians as Modi. Reaching out to the humble construction worker, middle-class professional and wealthy elite he has galvanised the emotional links NRIs have with their home country. A perfect time to formulate a coherent Diaspora security which would help the Government to reinforce its bonds further.

Very often the Indian Government is criticized for its evacuation attempts. Sure, some of the loopholes can be strengthened, at the same time one must never negate the good job done by our diplomats, armed forces and airline officials during such an operation.

Indian diplomats often push their last limit to ensure safety of all Indians in need. Consequently, it is unfair and self-defeating to cast them in poor light.

Furthermore, our external intelligence establishment needs to be reoriented towards gathering and analysing information relating to threats that the Diaspora population might face. The conceptual move from defending the homeland to defending the Diaspora needs a concomitant retooling of Government machinery.

Alongside, Diaspora security would require more naval ships, wider patrolling, foreign berthing and outposts. Military heavy lifting capacity apart, it will also require policy measures, like licence conditions in civil aviation requiring private airlines to put their aircrafts and crew at the Government’s disposal during emergencies.

In sum, it is timely to look at this issue strategically with an eye on capacity mapping and getting operating bases overseas. This also involves huge transaction costs that need to be borne by the exchequer. In order to bolster the capacity and have a strategic lift policy in place, the Government should consider these steps and put them urgently in place so that India is able to invest in its capacity to carry out airlifts in the future. ---- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)