Bahrain–India relations
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Political, socio-economic, military and cultural ties exist between
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
. India is a close ally of Bahrain. As per Indian officials, the Kingdom along with its GCC partners are amongst the world's most prominent supporters of India's candidacy for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, and Bahraini officials have urged India to play a greater role in international affairs. For instance, over concerns about Iran's nuclear programme, Bahrain's Crown Prince requested India to play an active role in resolving the crisis.


History

Relations between India and Bahrain go back generations, with many of Bahrain's most prominent figures having close ties: poet and constitutionalist
Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh ( ar, إبراهيم العريّض, born 8 March 1908 – died May 2002) was a Bahraini writer and poet, generally considered to be one of Bahrain's greatest poets and one of the leaders of the Bahraini literary movement in ...
grew up in Bombay, while 17th century Bahraini theologians Sheikh
Salih Al-Karzakani Sheikh Salih Al-Karzakani ( ar, صالح الكرزكاني) was a seventeenth-century Bahraini theologian who was appointed by the Safavid empire as a religious court judge in Shiraz. Al Karzakani left Bahrain along with his friend and fellow cler ...
and Sheikh Ja`far bin Kamal al-Din were influential figures in the Kingdom of
Golkonda Fort (Telugu: గోల్కొండ, romanized: ''Gōlkōnḍa'') is a historic fortress and ruined city located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was originally called Mankal. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparud ...
and the development of Shia thought in the sub-continent.
Mohammed Hasan Kamaluddin Mohammed Hasan Kamaluddin (Arabic: محمد حسن كمال الدين, born 1941) is a Bahraini former cabinet minister, member of parliament, ex-diplomat, poet, historian, writer and researcher. He is best known for having published the first Enc ...
was Bahrain's first consul general to India in 1974, serving from the consulate in
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
.


Current Status

Bahraini politicians have sought to enhance these long standing ties, with Parliamentary Speaker Khalifa Al-Dhahrani in 2007 leading a delegation of parliamentarians and business leaders to meet Indian President
Pratibha Patil Prathibha DeviSingh Patil (born 19 December 1934) is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the 12th president of India spanning from 2007 to 2012. She is the first woman to become the president of India. A member of the Indian National ...
, opposition leader
L K Advani Lal Krishna Advani (born 8 November 1927) is an Indian politician who served as the 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. Advani is one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a longtime memb ...
, and take part in training and media interviews. Politically, it is easier for Bahrain's politicians to seek training and advice from India than it is from the United States or other western alternative. In December 2007, the Bahrain India Society was launched in Manama to promote ties between the two countries. Headed by the former Minister of Labour Abdulnabi Al-Shoala, the Society seeks to take advantage of the development in civil society to actively work to strengthen ties between the two countries, not only business links, but according to the body's opening statement in politics, social affairs, science and culture. India's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs E Ahmed and his Bahraini counterpart Dr Nazar Al-Baharna attended the launch. According to a United States diplomatic cable dated 4 November 2009, revealed by WikiLeaks during the United States diplomatic cables leak, King Hamad holds a positive view of India and urged the US to use India's help in Afghanistan. Bahrain's ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa visited India in February 2014 during which the two countries signed a number of MOUs during which US$450 million of bilateral trade and investment were signed. The Prime minister, the President and various ministers from India met and discussed trade and the 350,000+ Indians staying and living on the island. India expressed its support for Bahrain's bid for a non-permanent seat in the Security council in 2026–27. Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...
visited Bahrain on 24–25 August 2019, the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country. India and Bahrain signed 3 MoUs on space, culture, the
International Solar Alliance The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an alliance of 123 signatory countries, most being sunshine countries, which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The primary objective of the allia ...
and the RuPay card. King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa awarded Modi with the Member 1st Class of the King Hamad Order of the Renaissance, the country's third highest civilian award, in recognition of his efforts to strengthen bilateral relations. Modi offered prayers at the Shreenathji temple in Manama on 25 August 2019, the oldest temple in the country, and also inaugurated a US$4.2 million project to redevelop the temple complex. On the same day, Bahrain announced that it had issued official pardons to 250 Indian citizens imprisoned in the country.


See also

*
Indians in Bahrain The history of Indians in Bahrain dates back to the time of the Dilmun civilisation in 3000 BCE when the civilisation served as a trade link between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley civilisation. Proper immigration of Indians to Bahrain fir ...
*
Hinduism in Oman Hinduism is a minority faith in Oman practised by 5.5% of its population. Oman is the only country in the Middle East with an indigenous Hindu minority. Hindus in Oman are represented by the religious organization ''Hindu Mahajan Temple''. Histor ...


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bahrain-India Relations Bilateral relations of India
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...