Qatar crisis: Two ways it will hurt NRIs most

Lakhs of Indians call Qatar home and the recent development in the Gulf country has raised several concerns, in particular, those affecting the expat population. 

The coordinated blockade on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain; and now Yemen and Maldives is bound to lead the country into a crisis-like situation.

The Gulf power lobbies headed by the Saudis have severed all ties up with Qatar. The state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said that KSA took the decision to protect the "[nation] from the dangers of terrorism and extremism." Doha has been accused of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS and Al-Qaeda, besides funding the Shia rebels in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

The UAE went a step further in an editorial denounced Qatar's "false friendship" and said that it is because of the "close ties between Doha and Tehran" it was forced to take the decision. The blockade as of now has been complete with both air and land transportation being shut down. 

What does this development mean for the Indians living in the country? Should we be concerned? 

"Our only concern is about Indians there. We are trying to find out if any Indians are stuck there," Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had told the press said on Monday.

An estimated over 6,50,000 Indians call Qatar home and of this some 3 lakh are from Kerala alone. While Qatar has been quick to dispel the fears, the cutting of ties is bound to affect the country. 

Food crisis

Qatar is a rich country, but it is heavily into importing food. The essential supplies to this energy-rich state are brought in by trucks across its border with Saudi Arabia and since Monday that has come to a standstill.

While the country has reassured the citizens that there is no need to panic, the blockade will essentially cut off all supply of food items to the country, which could eventually result in a food-shortage crisis. 

 

Travelling to take a hit

 

The worst effect of the embargo will be on travellers. Indians living in Qatar would find the cross-country travel most difficult and would have to re-route their travel to these countries.