India Rallies Gulf Consensus Against Terror in Bahrain, UAE

High-level parliamentary delegations from India wrapped up significant back-to-back engagements in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week, rallying support from key Gulf allies in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor. These visits were part of India’s broader diplomatic outreach aimed at consolidating global consensus on cross-border terrorism.

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Led respectively by senior MPs, the delegations restated New Delhi’s zero-tolerance stance on terrorism during high-level meetings with Gulf leaders, while simultaneously spotlighting India’s “New Normal” approach — defined by calibrated, proportionate, and non-escalatory military responses to acts of terror emanating from foreign soil.

In Manama, the Indian team met with H.E. Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s Deputy Prime Minister, and key leaders of the Shura Council, where they conveyed India’s policy clarity and growing national unity on counter-terrorism. The delegation emphasized that the April 22 attack in Pahalgam was neither an isolated incident nor a localised threat but part of a sustained campaign orchestrated from across the border.

The Gulf kingdom responded with unambiguous solidarity. Bahraini officials recalled their earlier condemnation of the Pahalgam attack and reiterated a shared belief: that terrorism must be condemned “in all forms, with no justification whatsoever.” The Indian side lauded Bahrain’s consistent cooperation, including the Joint Security Dialogue and strategic coordination under the India–Bahrain High Joint Commission framework.

In Abu Dhabi, Shiv Sena MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde led a second Indian team to hold structured dialogues with Emirati leaders, think tanks, and media. During a key meeting with HH Sheikh Nahyan Mabarak Al Nahyan, UAE’s Minister for Tolerance and Co-Existence, the Indian delegation laid out the operational rationale behind Operation Sindoor, emphasizing it as a measured act of self-defense.

This position was echoed by Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Defence and Foreign Affairs Committee of the UAE’s Federal National Council, who asserted that the India–UAE relationship has evolved to encompass security and strategic issues, and called for international cooperation against what he termed “a threat to all humanity”.

Beyond state-level diplomacy, both countries are deeply invested in bilateral resilience. India–UAE ties are backed by over $84 billion in annual trade, major defense cooperation through white shipping agreements, and India’s participation in platforms like I2U2 and the UFI trilateral (UAE–France–India). Similarly, Bahrain remains a key Indian Ocean partner, hosting over 340,000 Indian nationals and cooperating closely across energy, cyber security, and people-to-people exchanges.

In both capitals, Indian lawmakers also addressed local media and think tanks, including the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in Bahrain and national outlets in the UAE, debunking disinformation from Pakistan and presenting evidence of its long-standing support to terrorism.

As part of its post-Operation Sindoor diplomatic blitz, India’s strategy is becoming clear: to institutionalize the emerging global norm — that terror will meet with swift, decisive, and proportionate response.