5.3.2. India

♤ Delhi’s immediate focus is naturally on evacuating its citizens in the region. It completed Operation Rahat In 2015. In a matter of days, the Navy, the Air Force, and Air India were able to rescue thousands of Indians from the heart of Yemen’s war-zone, in an effort coordinated by the Ministry of External Affairs.

♤ The government showed magnanimity by rescuing non-Indians of about 17 nationalities, including Pakistan, a gesture reciprocated by Pakistani forces.

♤ Until there is a UN mandate for the external intervention in Yemen, it will serve India’s citizens better if the government retains its impartiality on events in the region, which is ridden with fault-lines. Stability and regional security remains a chief concern for India in a region that is significant for it.