In 2007, the then Saudi Ambassador to India visited Srinagar, the summer capital of the then state of Jammu and Kashmir. The separatist leadership largely operating in three groups: one Hurriyat Conference (G) led by the late Syed Ali Shah Geelani, former Amir of the Jamaat-e-Islami; second, the Hurriyat Conference (M) led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, custodian of Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid and the third, led by Yasin Malik of the nearly defunct Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front went to meet the Saudi envoy in turns. The Ambassador from whom the separatist leaders had great expectations of support was quick to remind them that their future lay with India.
Terrorism and radicalisation can resurface as the West retreats and the world order transforms. India and the Gulf states would need to work together to counter resurgent militant ideologies and cyber-enabled radicalisation
This was a moment of diplomatic clarity; it came in the backdrop of King Abdullah’s visit to India in 2006 when the ‘The Delhi Declaration’ was signed. The declaration focused on counter-terrorism as both countries pledged “to closely and actively cooperate to fight the menace of terrorism.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated this position during his visits in 2016 and 2019.
Similar understanding was reached with UAE, when President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India in 2024. The commitment to fight violent extremism, cross-border terrorism and terror financing was reiterated.
India has made similar arrangements with Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait. The cooperation with Saudi Arabia and the UAE has been the most effective. The agreement between the Presidency of State Security and India’s Research and Analysis Wing has yielded rich dividends, as the free movement of terrorists to the Saudi kingdom has come to a stop. Indian national Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, travelling on a Pakistani passport, was extradited in 2012. He was involved in facilitating the terrorists who carried out the Mumbai attacks in 2008.
