Widening Gulf: A David vs Goliath fight between Qatar and Saudi Arabia
There are 650,000 Indians in Qatar, nearly half of whom are workers from Kerala.
Two weeks after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, led by Abu Dhabi, severed diplomatic ties as well as land, sea and air links with Qatar, the tiny emirate is weighing the cost to its economy.
Qatar has always bet heavily on big ticket signature events: it is the only Gulf country to have hosted the Asian Games (in 2004) and is now the only Arab country to win the rights to host the World Cup football final (WC2022).
But as the blockade continues, it is likely to affect the construction schedule of WC 2022, since most of the construction materials like cement and iron can only enter Qatar overland. Al Jazeera has reported that trucks carrying food appear to be stranded on the Saudi side of the border.
In Doha, people are already "stockpiling perishable goods," according to Jassim Mater Kunji, producer for Al Jazeera English.
It's also a worrying prospect for the legion of Indian construction workers in the Gulf. There are 650,000 Indians in Qatar, nearly half of whom are workers from Kerala.
The worried Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked the Central government to help ensure the safety and economic security of the Indian diaspora in the Gulf.