The Iraqi envoy to India, Fakhri Hassan Mehdi Al Issaa wants India to play a critical role in reconstruction of Iraq after the historic defeat of Islamic State
Sumit Kumar
As the Islamic State (IS) has been forced out of Iraq, the country sees a big role for India in its reconstruction which includes efforts to boost the trade through inviting the Indian companies to invest there, providing medical aid to the wounded soldiers apart from strengthening the bilateral ties between the two nations.
“Our country has been deeply affected by the Daesh (another name for IS in West Asia). At the moment there are few companies which have big projects in Iraq. Now with the elimination of IS, the conditions are conducive for investment. Definitely, companies will set up their bases and settle down once Iraq has been liberated. I welcome to see which companies start working in Iraq,” says Iraqi envoy to India Fakhri Hassan Mehdi Al Issa.
He adds that despite IS seizing territories in Iraq; trade with India did not suffer as his country remained the second largest exporter of oil to India.
India is one of the largest importers of Iraqi oil, which stood at 1 million barrels per day (bpd) in April. With IS stronghold in Iraq being destroyed, India and rest of the world can take a sigh of relief, as the steady supply of oil could go uninterrupted. West Asia controls 60 per cent of the oil reserves and any advances of IS would have proved catastrophic for oil prices.
Moreover, there is huge Indian workforce nearly 70 lakh working in the region with a sizable number in Iraq. The Indian workers in the region send about $35-$40 billion as remittance. The IS advance would have meant a great loss to the economy as well as this would have endangered lives of Indian workers living there.
The Indian workers remained on the IS hit list as it became apparent after the dreaded outfit captured 39 of its nationals in June 2014. Amid the concerns over their safety the Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj revealed recently that they are alive and may have been kept in a prison in Badush. Even as the efforts are on to rescue the workers Fakhri says that “I am hopeful that they are alive but cannot confirm it. We will certainly find out more and share it with Indian Government.”
The elimination of IS has brought relief to the workers who wish to work in Iraq. As hordes of the skilled and semi-skilled professionals make a beeline to the embassy for work visa, the past is behind and they are looking for more safe and secure work environment. There are many like Mohammad Naimuddin, a Delhi resident who lived through the period of IS turbulence in Iraq, says they had to live a reclusive life after IS seized major cities in Iraq.
“We used to stay in a camp and did not go anywhere and were ferried to the working site by bus. Fortunately where I was working in Badra, it was safe. But other parts of Iraq were not equally peaceful,” adds Naimuddin.
After IS stormed major cities in Iraq, more than 10,000 Indians fled the country, including dozens of nurses who were held briefly by suspected IS militants in Tikrit and Mosul before being allowed to return home.
In this war, there has been high casualty for Iraqi forces apart from thousands of injuries in the combat operations and Iraq wants its old friend India to help in treating the wounded soldiers and civilians.
“We need Indian Government help in treatment of soldiers, supply of medical equipment or providing mobile dispensaries or allowing their treatment here in India,” tells Fakhri talking to Organiser.
India looks for peace and stability in Iraq after its troops recaptured Mosul signaling an end of Islamic State rule.The victory came with high price of human loss. As jubilant India and rest of the world celebrate along with Iraqis, the challenge now is to maintain peace in the country by engaging all the key stakeholders including Kurds. Now things are more complicated as in the process of uprooting the Islamic State, the Kurds have gained control over 70 per cent of the territories in northern Iraq that are in dispute between Arabs and Kurds. Will the Kurds give up the territories for enduring peace or will they be guided by the dream of freedom, has kept the Iraq watchers guessing?
“There is only one way through negotiation with Kurds for ensuring lasting peace. There is no other way out and certainly resolving it through military conflict is out of question. The call for seceding is not in their interest or ours. Simply put separation cost is very high which is in no one’s interest,” says Fakhri.
As the war in Iraq near its end, what must be worrying the Iraqi Government is how to reign over the Popular Mobilisation Forces composed of some 40 militias mostly consisting of Shia groups apart from Sunni Muslim, Christian, and Yazidi individuals.
Other factors which can harm the peace in the region is that most of the Iraqis do not support the constitutional provision of federalism. Instead they are calling for strong Central Government which can provide ground for IS to reemerge. Despite the popular sentiment against federalism Iraq Government will not change the provisions of the constitution.
“We need to support the provinces to have their own governments who will manage their own needs. They will even be allowed to have contracts with the companies (from other countries). Central Government will actually finance on the projects they wish to take up. They will use the money towards fulfilling their own goals like construction and other activities,” says Fakhri.
The IS must have been pushed back and defeated but their philosophy of caliphate still finds resonance in Arab world and can make a comeback if even a remnant of it is left.
“Iraqis have fought terrorism on behalf of the world, in a war that was by all means brutal and crucial. It was like a time bomb ticking which could have exploded any time,” adds Fakhri cautioning for enduring peace.
Nobody, including various rival factions, want a return to the civil war, so the Iraqis consisting of various groups should try to live amicably. The real test will be to see how the Government implements the constitution which takes care of all the concerns of various factions without hurting the sentiments of the majority Sunnis.
(The writer is a senior journalist)
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