A worried Delhi was monitoring the situation in Qatar where more than 8 lakh Indians live and work, and the Indian embassy asked the community to be cautious as Iran launched a military attack Monday night on a US base in Qatar.
The Indian embassy in Doha said, “In view of the ongoing situation, the Indian community in Qatar is urged to be cautious and remain indoors. Please remain calm and follow local news, instructions and guidance provided by Qatari authorities. The Embassy will also keep updating through our social media channels.”
The Indian community is the largest expat community in the country, which has one of the highest per capita income in the world.
Iran said it launched a military attack on the Al Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest US military installation in the region, according to a statement by the country’s armed forces. A senior White House official earlier confirmed that the US was aware of a potential attack by Iran against the Al Udeid air base. An Israeli official also said Iran was poised to strike the base.
India has had a robust political and economic relationship with Qatar, and has maintained high-level contacts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Qatar on February 14-15, 2024. This was his second visit to Qatar. Modi had been on a state visit to Doha on June 4-5, 2016.
The over 8.3 lakh-strong Indian community is the largest expatriate community in Qatar and is engaged in a wide spectrum of professions including medicine, engineering, education, finance, banking, business and media apart from a large number of blue-collared workers.
There are over 20,000 big and small Indian companies operating in Qatar, either wholly-owned or joint ventures, in sectors like infrastructure, communications and information technology, energy.
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According to Invest Qatar, Indian companies have invested over USD 350 million in Qatar for the period 2017-2025. Indian companies from across sectors have been present in Qatar for over several years.
Some of these include L&T, Shapoorji Pallonji, Wipro, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Lulu Group, Malabar and Tanishq.
Currently, there are over 60,000 Indian students studying in 19 Indian schools and a few in international schools all over Qatar. There are approximately 4,500 faculty and non-faculty in Indian Schools alone.
