Counting pills, fearing blasts: Indians stranded in West Asia
Tens of thousands of Indian nationals were stranded across West Asian countries as the US-Israel war against Iran broke out on February 28, 2026, with retaliatory Iranian missile and drone strikes targeting US bases across the Gulf region.
Airspace restrictions — with Iranian FIR and parts of Gulf airspace closed or dangerous — initially made evacuation nearly impossible, leaving Indians in Iran, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman unable to fly home.
Reports described ordinary Indians — many blue-collar workers — rationing medications, sheltering from nearby blasts, and seeking information from Indian consulates overwhelmed by distress calls.
India launched a rapid evacuation response: by March 7, 2026, over 52,000 Indian nationals had been repatriated from the Gulf, including more than 32,000 passengers on Indian carriers.
Qatar Airways flew over 7,600 Indians from Doha to India in just 72 hours — one of the largest single-hub Gulf evacuations since the war began.
The Indian Embassy in Qatar, MEA's Crisis Management Centre, and diaspora community organisations coordinated the operation.
Union Minister Prahalad Joshi confirmed India was in constant contact with diplomatic missions across all West Asian countries.
India's rapid response was contrasted with the US, which faced difficulty securing evacuation corridors for its own citizens in the region.
India's Evacuation Operations: Operation Kaveri, Vande Bharat, and Precedents
India has a strong track record of evacuating its large diaspora from conflict zones. Major operations include: Operation Sukoon (2006, Lebanon-Israel war — evacuated ~2,000 Indians by Navy ships), Operation Rahat (2015, Yemen conflict — evacuated ~4,700 Indians plus nationals of 41 other countries), Vande Bharat Mission (2020, COVID-19 — evacuated ~7 million Indians in the world's largest civilian repatriation), Operation Kaveri (2023, Sudan civil war — evacuated ~3,800 Indians), and Operation Ganga (2022, Ukraine — evacuated ~22,500 Indians). Each operation involved MEA's Emergency Coordination Centre, Indian Navy/Air Force assets, and diplomatic pressure to secure safe corridors.
Key Details
- MEA runs a 24-hour Emergency Helpline (+91-11-23012113) for Indians in distress abroad
- Indian Navy has dedicated Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) capabilities
- The e-MIGRATE system helps track Indian workers in Gulf countries who go on work visas
- India's "Neighbourhood First" and "Extended Neighbourhood" policies include Gulf countries as key partners
The 52,000 repatriations within 7 days of the war's start — including the 7,600 from Doha in 72 hours — continues India's growing capacity for rapid, large-scale diaspora evacuation, building on lessons from Vande Bharat and Operation Ganga.
Indian Diaspora in the Gulf: Scale, Sectors, and Vulnerability
India has the world's largest diaspora, with approximately 32 million people of Indian origin living abroad. Of these, over 10 million live in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: UAE (~3.5 million), Saudi Arabia (~2.7 million), Kuwait (~1 million), Qatar (~800,000), Bahrain (~350,000), and Oman (~600,000). The Gulf diaspora is predominantly blue-collar — construction workers, domestic workers, healthcare workers, logistics staff — with limited savings and high vulnerability in emergencies. The GCC diaspora contributes nearly 40% of India's total inward remittances (India is the world's largest remittance recipient at $118.7 billion in FY2024).
Key Details
- The Emigration Check Required (ECR) category in Indian passports identifies workers who need government clearance before travelling to 18 ECR countries (including most Gulf states)
- The Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY) provides insurance cover for ECR-category workers abroad
- Welfare Fund for Overseas Migrant Workers (WFOMW) under the Indian Community Welfare Fund provides emergency financial assistance
- The MEA's Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendras (PBSK) in Gulf countries assist stranded workers
The plight of stranded Indians — many counting pills and fearing blasts — reflects the specific vulnerability of low-income blue-collar workers who dominate the Gulf diaspora and lack resources to self-evacuate, making government-led operations essential.
India's Foreign Policy Approach to West Asia: Strategic Balancing
India has carefully cultivated relationships with all major West Asian powers simultaneously — a policy of strategic autonomy that avoids alignment with any one bloc. India maintains strong ties with Israel (defence and technology partnership since 1992 normalisation), Iran (Chabahar Port partnership, Farzad-B gas field), Saudi Arabia and UAE (energy, investment, diaspora), and the US (QUAD, strategic partnership). This balancing act enables India to serve as a mediator, protect its diaspora across both sides of the conflict, and secure energy supplies from multiple sources. Iran even announced it opened the Strait of Hormuz for Indian-flagged vessels in late March 2026 — a tribute to India's diplomatic standing.
Key Details
- India is Iran's second-largest oil customer (after China)
- India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed 2022 — India's first CEPA with a Gulf country
- India's Chief of Defence Staff visited both Israel and Saudi Arabia in 2025
- Chabahar Port gives India a strategic trade route to Afghanistan and Central Asia bypassing Pakistan
India's ability to rapidly repatriate 52,000 nationals and secure Iranian consent for vessel transit reflects the diplomatic capital built through decades of West Asia balancing — a direct dividend of India's strategic autonomy doctrine.
- ~10 million Indians live across GCC countries — the world's largest single diaspora concentration
- 52,000 Indians repatriated from Gulf by March 7, 2026 (within first 7 days of war)
- 7,600 Indians flown from Doha to India by Qatar Airways in just 72 hours
- India is the world's largest remittance recipient: $118.7 billion in FY2024
- Gulf countries contribute ~40% of India's total inward remittances
- MEA's Emergency Helpline: +91-11-23012113 (24-hour active during crises)
- Iran opened the Strait of Hormuz for Indian-flagged ships — a result of India's diplomatic outreach
- Comparison: Operation Vande Bharat (2020) repatriated ~7 million Indians across 2 years; current operation achieved 52,000 in 7 days from an active war zone