The
oil price hike in 1973 – and the subsequent oil boom – was the event that triggered the
migration of Indian nationals to the Gulf.
Following the oil price hike, massive investments in social and industrial infrastructure were planned by the Gulf states. But as their own populace was ill equipped, both in terms of numbers and technical qualification,
migrants from the subcontinent made up the shortfall. These migrants were both
skilled and semi-skilled. While skilled labour was employed in education and services, semi-skilled labour was employed in construction projects and industry.
The migration, that began in the seventies, reached its peak in the eighties and nineties. Most of the migrants were from the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. These three states accounted for more than two-thirds of all migrants, though there were
substantial numbers from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan as well. The migration was interrupted by the Gulf wars, and by the chain of events which lead to the rise of Islamic terrorism and the spread of sectarian violence.
The migration, which began as a trickle, soon turned into a flood. Today, there are more than three million Indian migrants residing in the Gulf. In fact, they now form a substantial portion of the populace of their adopted countries. It is estimated that Indians form one-third the
population of the United Arab Emirates, one-fourth the population of Qatar, one-fifth the population of Bahrain, and one-sixth the population of Oman. They also have a substantial presence in Kuwait and Arabia.
Though Indians have been a major factor in bringing about social and economic change in these god-forsaken desert lands, and introduced culture where none existed, their treatment by their host nations leaves much to be desired. In these autocratic sheikhdoms, they have been denied the
rights of full citizenship, the right to freely practice their faith, and the right of political participation, which are the most basic of human rights.
It may be noted, in passing, that these same Arabs raise a big hue and cry if there is even a minor infringement of the rights of fellow Arabs residing in western nations!
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