Evacuation of Indian Nationals from Conflict-ridden Countries

Operation Rahat

• currently underway jointly by Army, Navy and Air Force to evacuate Indians from Yemen.
• also nationals from other countries including Pakistan have been evacuated
• Pakistan has also evacuated 12 Indians from Mukalla
• thousands in a matter of days.
• Gen. V.K. Singh (Retd.) is stationed in Djibouti  
• 5 ships and 4 planes to evacuate 4000 Indians

What should be the future strategy?

• despite advisories issued in Jan 2015, Indians chose to stay mainly because of
• economic reasons
• passports and wages held by the employer
• So, India must negotiate better working conditions for expatriates (nearly 6 million Indians in west asia).
• Together with SAARC countries, India can also negotiate
• need for an early warning system
• India need to maintain its neutrality in the region unless there is a UN-led intervention

Reference

1. http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/yemen-crisis-operation-rahat-rescues-indians/article7074434.ece