DOHA: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has lauded the large Indian expatriate community in Qatar and said it is highly respected due to its peace-loving nature and ability to do hard work.
He said his country owes a lot to the Indian community for its contribution to development.
The Emir held official talks with Indian leaders, including President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice-President Hamid Ansari, during his two-day official visit to New Delhi that concluded yesterday.
Indian’s External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, also called on him, QNA reports. The Emir was in India with a large delegation that comprised ministers, senior bureaucrats as well as businessmen. It is interesting to note that many Qatar-based Indian businessmen were part of his entourage.
Among a series of agreements the two countries signed is one that paves the way for Indian prisoners in Qatar to be shifted home (to India) where they can spend the remaining jail term.
Likewise, Qatari prisoners in India can be brought to Doha to spend their remaining prison term here.
Indian community sources here said the swap will mostly benefit Indian businessmen who are jailed for business-related offences like issuing cheques that bounced due to insufficient balance in their bank accounts.
The Emir, in an interview published by The Times of India yesterday, said there were an estimated 631,000 Indians in Qatar and they were working in different occupations — from labourers to doctors to engineers.
The Emir was yesterday accorded a ceremonial welcome in the forecourt of the Presidential Palace yesterday.
The Emir met President Pranab Mukherjee who hosted a banquet dinner in his honour.
Earlier, the Emir held talks with Prime Minister Modi. He received Vice-president Hamid Ansari. He also received Minister of External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan.
They noted that bilateral relations acquired a new momentum following the landmark visits of Father Emir
H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to India in 1999, 2005 and 2012 and received strong impetus with the visit of the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Qatar in November 2008.
The Indian side highlighted the experience and expertise its companies had acquired in infrastructure development, including in power generation and transmission, civil construction, railways and metros, hospitals, airports, housing, roads etc. It conveyed the interest of Indian companies to be a partner in the infrastructure development projects undertaken by Qatar in preparation for the FIFA 2022 World Cup and the development plans under vision “2030 for Qatar”.
The Indian side invited Qatar to participate in projects creating mega industrial manufacturing corridors, including the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor. Qatar expressed keen interest in the flagship — “Make in India” programme. The Indian side also informed the Qatari side of the Clean Ganges Programme and Digital India Programme.
The two sides condemned terrorism in its all forms and manifestations and affirmed that it threatened all societies and was not linked to any race, colour or faith.
The Emir extended invitations to the President and Prime Minister of India to visit Qatar at a mutually convenient time, which were gladly accepted.
The Peninsula
