New Delhi: The desert kingdom of Qatar is no stranger to strained relations with other Gulf countries. But the current crisis, which was triggered by seven countries severing ties with Qatar after accusing it of funding terrorism, is far more serious. And the Indian diaspora of more than 6 lakh people, in a country with 26 lakh population, is anxious, if not panicked.
Qatar is powered, to a certain extent, by investments made by Indian natives and also by thousands of those who work in construction and hospitality sectors.
With its wealth fund placed at a staggering $335 billion, Qatar’s per capita GDP is at $129,726, highest in the world.
Musthafa was, however, quick to add that the anxiety among people was something to be concerned about. “The stalemate, if it continues for another 15 days or so, will spell trouble. People have already started stocking up household items, food items, etc before they run out,” he said.
“As of now, supermarkets have all sorts of products. But a week ago, if it took us half an hour to buy something from a supermarket, now it takes four hours,” said Jacob, a resident of Doha.
Local news reports also suggest that supermarkets in Doha are witnessing long queues ever since the isolation of Qatar.
Indian government has sensed this anxiety among its natives. Three days after Qatar was isolated by the Gulf, the Indian embassy in Doha, on Wednesday, released an advisory, promising that it was doing everything possible to make sure that Indians were safe.
“The Qatari authorities have conveyed that they will take all necessary steps to ensure that normal life, including supplies of food items, is not affected,” said the advisory. Reports have also suggested that the Indian government has offered to send in supplies to Qatar. ALSO READ | Donald Trump Says Arab Leaders Warned him Qatar Financed Radicalism
Additionally, despite the political upheaval, Indians News18 spoke to said that their immediate business prospects were still intact. “Most of the supplies for industries here come from Saudi. Even if it is not from Saudi, it comes via Saudi. While we have sufficient material for now, we don’t know about the future,” Jacob said. Hope for a patch up among the Arab nations sooner than later, he said, was all that Indians in Qatar were holding on to.(Names in full have been withheld to maintain anonymity)
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