DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the United Arab Emirates’ highest civilian honor during a visit Saturday to the oil-rich Gulf nation, reinforcing ties between the countries even as he pursues stripping statehood from the disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir.The induction of Modi into the Order of Zayed shows the importance the UAE places on India, the world’s third-largest consumer of crude oil. India is home to a rapidly growing consumer market and labor pool that the federation of sheikhdoms relies on for its own economy.
Activists, however, decried the UAE
bestowing the award on Modi as he pursues a clampdown on the Himalayan region claimed by both Pakistan and India. Modi later traveled to Bahrain to become the first Indian premier to visit the island nation.
“With several Gulf states in an ever-tightening embrace with Modi, human rights have been discarded in favor of economic opportunities,” wrote Samah Hadid, a Beirut-based human rights advocate.
Abu Dhabi’s powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, personally put the golden medal around Modi’s neck during an event that was closed to press in Abu Dhabi, the Emirati capital. With a portrait of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s first president for whom the order is named, behind them, the two men shook and held hands for a moment and spoke quietly.
“You deserve it,” Sheikh Mohammed told Modi at one point while posing for photos.
Modi had been announced as a recipient of the prize in April in a tweet from Sheikh Mohammed.“We have historical and comprehensive strategic ties with India, reinforced by the pivotal role of my dear friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who gave these relations a big boost,” a tweet from his account read. Source: washingtonpost.com
