Saudi-India defence relations getting stronger and stronger

[Desert Fox]

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah guest of honour on India's Republic Day parade

by Pratap Chakravarty
New Delhi (AFP) Jan 26, 2006
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah was the guest of honour Thursday at India's annual Republic Day parade, leading a review of elite troops, weapons and folk dancers in the national capital.

Abdullah, flanked by lance-bearing liveried cavalry, was escorted by President Abdul Kalam to New Delhi's Central Vista parade grounds.

The parade is centred on Raj Path, the mall surrounded by government offices and the palace of former British viceroys which is now home to the president.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his cabinet colleagues and Saudi delegates also attended the parade which wound past a World War II memorial raised in honour of India, a major contributor to the Allied forces.

The celebrations mark India's transition to a republic in 1950 after independence in 1947.

The military displayed its Russian-built T-90 tanks as well as howitzers and models of its nuclear-capable Agni (Fire) ballistic missile which has been tested more than five times since 1993.

India, which budgeted 14 billion dollars for defence in the fiscal year ending March 31 and has emerged as Asia's largest market for Western military hardware, also showed off a model of a French-designed Scorpene submarine due to join its naval fleet by 2011.

Thousands of troops from various services including elite commando units with machine guns guarded the fortified venue to prevent attacks by Kashmir's Islamist guerrillas who had vowed to disrupt the annual celebrations.

The Indian air force, the world's fourth largest, staged flypasts of its frontline Sukhoi-30 interceptor jets and Mirage-2000 multi-role fighter planes.

The technology-starved air force has said it wants to buy 126 fighter planes, with Lockheed Martin, the US maker of the F-16, Sweden's Gripen and Russia's MiG vying for a deal which defence experts say could be worth more than six billion dollars.

Also on parade were colourful floats representing the 29 Indian states, and folk dancers in traditional costumes and elaborate headgear, watched by tens of thousands of people, many of whom walked several miles because of major traffic disruptions.

King Abdullah held talks with premier Singh Wednesday, before attending the Republic Day celebrations. He is currently on a four-day visit to New Delhi, as part of an Asian tour.

Delegations of the two countries signed four pacts on fighting terrorism, investment, taxation and cooperation in sports amid talks between the two leaders, during which they also discussed energy ties.

Meanwhile, Maoist rebels in eastern India and Kashmir's Islamic guerrillas called for a boycott of the anniversary celebrations.

In eastern Bihar and Jharkhand states, Maoist rebels bombed railway tracks and a police station, injuring one policeman and disrupting rail services.

In the Kashmir summer capital Srinagar, security was tight at Bakshi Stadium, site of the celebrations.

Counter-insurgency troops were also out in force across India's seven northeastern states where separatist groups called for a boycott of the event, stepping up attacks in the days ahead of Republic Day.

Since Friday, rebels in the northeast carried out 16 blasts, killing three people and wounding 31, besides damaging six oil and gas facilities and three power plants in Assam state.

Source: Agence France-Presse

 

[Desert Fox]

India, Saudi to ramp up defence cooperation


NEW DELHI: India and Saudi Arabia plan to establish a joint committee to chalk out a roadmap for bolstering bilateral defence cooperation, ranging from stepped up high-level exchanges and warship visits to hydrography and training, as well as work out the details of a proposed defence pact.

The panel will also examine the possibility of cooperation in defence industries, with defence minister A K Antony offering to host the visit of a delegation from Saudi Arabia to examine first-hand defence production facilities in India.

During his two-day visit to Riyadh, Antony suggested that the navies of the two countries "could explore practical cooperation in the fight against piracy and an active role by the Royal Saudi Navy in the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium construct''. Saudi defence minister Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud "readily accepted these suggestions," an official said.

India will assist Saudi Arabia in hydrography, in fields like nautical cartography and surveys of important coastal areas, ports, harbours and designated sea areas. As reported by TOI on Tuesday, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud has assured Antony that Saudi Arabia is ready to "offer all assistance, including additional supply of crude oil, should India require it''. India is facing immense pressure from the US and other countries to cut back its oil imports from Iran, which they contend is using petroleum revenues to weaponise its nuclear programme.

India, Saudi to ramp up defence cooperation - Times Of India

 

[DelhiDareDevil]

Actually this is the best thing that could have happened for Pakistan. We have long ignored our next door neighbour Iran just to be sensitive to Saudi concerns. This unties Pakistani hands from any self imposed pressure and now we can move in the direction of increasing our Economic, Cultural and Defence Cooperation with Iran. I would love to see a Pakistan, Iran and Turkey Defence Pact for starters.

Yes Iran and India relationship are terrible. lol sarcasm

 

[Kaniska]

Dude Desert Fox...Donot worry...Saudi Arab is all yours...Whenever you see India's intrest with any country with your sphere of influence then please donot think it as zero sum game...It is not always that your friend is my enemey...Saudi Arab and India relation ship is purely in the context of economic perspective...Apart from that i think the subject of India SA relation in defence co operation is too hilarious...When Saudi Arab is blessed from super power USA...What will India offer?...i think this is just a eye wash only..May be USA is trying to rope in India and SA against iran...which i donot think will suceed....

 

[kalu_miah]

Its not a surprise, Saudi Arabia as part of oil rich GCC needs protection from all the vultures that are after its oil fields. So they are hedging their bets. Hopefully it will tone down the Hindu nationalist Islamophobes in India, but knowing Indians, it will make them even more jingoistic, thinking that they are now projecting their power in the Mid-east, which is just the beginning of their world wide march of Pax-Hindutva. May be they will now start dreaming about filling the Kaaba with their devi idol statues, when they take over that state. Oops, there goes our 1400 year old tradition, when prophet (SAWS) broke all the statues and banished the idols. I have heard that Hindu nationalist claim all idol worshiping pagans as Hindu, which includes the population in pre-Islamic Arabia.

 

[danger007]

Its not a surprise, Saudi Arabia as part of oil rich GCC needs protection from all the vultures that are after its oil fields. So they are hedging their bets. Hopefully it will tone down the Hindu nationalist Islamophobes in India, but knowing Indians, it will make them even more jingoistic, thinking that they are now projecting their power in the Mid-east, which is just the beginning of their world wide march of Pax-Hindutva. May be they will now start dreaming about filling the Kaaba with their devi idol statues, when they take over that state. Oops, there goes our 1400 year old tradition, when prophet (SAWS) broke all the statues and banished the idols. I have heard that Hindu nationalist claim all idol worshiping pagans as Hindu, which includes the population in pre-Islamic Arabia.

why you morons will bring religion every where. are you not talking about islam, musilm world...

 

[BANGBRO]

what India will get from having close defence ties with Saudis ... ???

these guys dont have any cuting edge homegrown tech. that we can get from them...
and we can not sell them our homegrown defence systems... as they can get latest gen. weapon system from the west ...

?/???

why you morons will bring religion every where. are you not talking about islam, musilm world...

yaa its really strange.. but I think most of the muslim children specially in indian subcontinent are brought up like that.. they get heavy dose of religion from thr family and society ... so we can not blame them.. if these guys sees everything though the glasses of religion...

 

[kalu_miah]

Go and preach your mantra to your Hindutva jingo's that are planning to take over your nation. It is not us who are obsessed with religion, we are just trying to save our future from your hatred filled Hindu Nationalist Islamophobe population that wants to wipe out Islam and Muslims from the face of the earth. And thank you for your taqiya lies and deception effort to hide this from other nations. But it is too late because you cannot take down all the Indian web sites that are openly spreading hatred against Islam and Muslims.

 

[Vinod2070]

Its not a surprise, Saudi Arabia as part of oil rich GCC needs protection from all the vultures that are after its oil fields. So they are hedging their bets. Hopefully it will tone down the Hindu nationalist Islamophobes in India, but knowing Indians, it will make them even more jingoistic, thinking that they are now projecting their power in the Mid-east, which is just the beginning of their world wide march of Pax-Hindutva. May be they will now start dreaming about filling the Kaaba with their devi idol statues, when they take over that state.

You don't!

Oops, there goes our 1400 year old tradition, when prophet (SAWS) broke all the statues and banished the idols. I have heard that Hindu nationalist claim all idol worshiping pagans as Hindu, which includes the population in pre-Islamic Arabia.

Your tradition? Who are you? What is your identity?

What were "your traditions" for tens of thousands of years before some barbarians invaded you and gave you "your new traditions"?

 

[Vinod2070]

Go and preach your mantra to your Hindutva jingo's that are planning to take over your nation. It is not us who are obsessed with religion, we are just trying to save our future from your hatred filled Hindu Nationalist Islamophobe population that wants to wipe out Islam and Muslims from the face of the earth. And thank you for your taqiya lies and deception effort to hide this from other nations. But it is too late because you cannot take down all the Indian web sites that are openly spreading hatred against Islam and Muslims.

If every Muslim majority country can be an "Islamic country", why get so hyper at the mere thought of India or other non Muslims even considering the possibility of going by their religions?

And your ignorance can be seen from the fact that it was not Indians who went to Islamic lands, perpetrated the worst barbarity of massive rapine, genocide, forced conversions, destruction of tens of thousands of temples and so on.

It were the barbarians from outside who did that in our lands.

And our vastly superior culture and the values of our great dharmic religions meant that we have not even gone out to avenge it, rather we have full religious freedom for our Indian Muslims, much more than almost any Islamic countries where leave out the minorities, even non majority sects and ethnicities are persecuted.

But appreciating that needs something you lack, almost to the last one.

Objectivity.

 

[Kaniska]

why you morons will bring religion every where. are you not talking about islam, musilm world...

Feel pity on them dude...beacuse their world starts with every thing around religion and ends there too...

Go and preach your mantra to your Hindutva jingo's that are planning to take over your nation. It is not us who are obsessed with religion, we are just trying to save our future from your hatred filled Hindu Nationalist Islamophobe population that wants to wipe out Islam and Muslims from the face of the earth. And thank you for your taqiya lies and deception effort to hide this from other nations. But it is too late because you cannot take down all the Indian web sites that are openly spreading hatred against Islam and Muslims.

So what .....Its my country..If i wish to fill it up with Hindu nationalism what is your problem dude....We never wish to propagate any thing outside our country..so come out of self style delusion....

 

[K-Xeroid]

Last i checked Iran isn't our ally, and neither does it claim to be one. So your argument is void.

Ally? Not they but Looks like our nation is a frontline Supporter of Iran Even They are Willing to Sacrfies theirselves for them.. Remember of that statement from our Defence ministry.. That if NATO will attacks on Iran We will support Iran.. But in sametime They allowed NATO to use our Air routes and Now possibly They may allow them to use our Land routes.. Big Great Double standard but Wat a Shame, Here Public have Totally sacrificed their rights for some Sufi and their Decendents..

 

[kalu_miah]

If every Muslim majority country can be an "Islamic country", why get so hyper at the mere thought of India or other non Muslims even considering the possibility of going by their religions?

And your ignorance can be seen from the fact that it was not Indians who went to Islamic lands, perpetrated the worst barbarity of massive rapine, genocide, forced conversions, destruction of tens of thousands of temples and so on.

It were the barbarians from outside who did that in our lands.

And our vastly superior culture and the values of our great dharmic religions meant that we have not even gone out to avenge it, rather we have full religious freedom for our Indian Muslims, much more than almost any Islamic countries where leave out the minorities, even non majority sects and ethnicities are persecuted.

But appreciating that needs something you lack, almost to the last one.

Objectivity.

India is a hostile place for minorities, ask a Kashmiri Muslim or the Christian priest who was paraded naked just a few days ago. And you have pogroms, the last one being in Gujarat, less than 10 years ago. But the worst is that your nation continue to be full of hatred for Islam/Muslims and Christians as well, and your Hindu Nationalist jingo's have detailed plan to not just convert back your own non-Hindu population back to Hindu but do the same for neighboring countries too after they "cleanse" these lands, which they consider as their stolen land. The plan is there to pull an Al-Andalus (Spain) on Pakistan and Bangladesh to remove Islam and Muslims from this space, no matter how much some of you may try to deny it. It is all on open websites for all to see.

Your whole post reeks with your Hindu revisionist history nonsense myth about forced conversions and your chauvinism about superior Hindu religion that still oppress people based on the color of their skin, remember the Varna system, that supposedly "white Aryan" ancestors of Brahmans created so their blood would not get dirty with the blood of black Shudra's or Adivasi's (indigenous people). Rewriting history to suit your Hindu nationalist need is your newest tool, as you consider yourself victor in your Hindu Rashtra (state). Please keep your deception and propaganda to yourself, as the cat is already out of the bag about the dirt in your heart, which we face everyday with our people getting shot at near the border and our country getting deserted from stolen water from our common rivers, about which your people openly brag about shutting down using existing or future planned dams and diverting using the future river linking project. And the Big Lie and myth of Bangladeshi migrants flooding your land of milk and honey where 40% baby's are malnourished, you are trying to establish with incessant media and internet propaganda and myth making, so you can harass and delegitimize poor Bengali speaking Muslims in West Bengal and North East states, so people consider it kosher to make them the victim of rage and killings whenever any extremist local groups see fit.

 

[DelhiDareDevil]

I like Saudi Arabia, but please dont invest none of ur money and interest in Mosques in India to radicalize Indian Muslims.

Thank You.

 

[Subramanian]

India is a hostile place for minorities, ask a Kashmiri Muslim or the Christian priest who was paraded naked just a few days ago. And you have pogroms, the last one being in Gujarat, less than 10 years ago. But the worst is that your nation continue to be full of hatred for Islam/Muslims and Christians as well, and your Hindu Nationalist jingo's have detailed plan to not just convert back your own non-Hindu population back to Hindu but do the same for neighboring countries too after they "cleanse" these lands, which they consider as their stolen land. The plan is there to pull an Al-Andalus (Spain) on Pakistan and Bangladesh to remove Islam and Muslims from this space, no matter how much some of you may try to deny it. It is all on open websites for all to see.

Your whole post reeks with your Hindu revisionist history nonsense myth about forced conversions and your chauvinism about superior Hindu religion that still oppress people based on the color of their skin, remember the Varna system, that supposedly "white Aryan" ancestors of Brahmans created so their blood would not get dirty with the blood of black Shudra's or Adivasi's (indigenous people). Rewriting history to suit your Hindu nationalist need is your newest tool, as you consider yourself victor in your Hindu Rashtra (state). Please keep your deception and propaganda to yourself, as the cat is already out about the dirt in your heart, which we face everyday with our people getting shot at near the border and our country getting deserted from stolen water from our common rivers, about which your people openly brag about shutting down using existing or future planned dams and diverting using the future river linking project. And the incessant Big Lie about the myth of Bangladeshi migrants flooding your land of milk and honey where 40% baby's are malnourished, you are trying to establish with media and internet propaganda and myth making, so you can harass and delegitimize poor Bengali speaking Muslims in West Bengal and North East states, so people consider it kosher to make them their victim of rage and killings whenever any extremist local groups see fit.

you are a cool guy but please dont cross the border.