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The biggest takeaway from the rescue operation in Yemen, dubbed Operation Rahat, which is in its last stages, goes beyond the numbers. It goes beyond the more than 4,000 Indians rescued. It goes beyond the 23 nations – including the United States, which is currently the only nation with a global military reach – asking for India's help. It definitely goes beyond the chest-thumping and vitriol on social media. The biggest takeaway is that India's military and civilian apparatus, including disaster relief forces and other government bodies, are exceptionally good in rescue and relief operations.
Time and again, the country's capabilities in this regard have come good in various phases in recent history. Following the 2004 tsunami, even as the country was dealing with horrifying levels of destruction along its eastern coast, the Indian Navy deployed ships carrying rescue personnel, food, medicines and shelter to Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia.
In the 2006 Lebanon war, and again in the 2011 Libyan war, India deployed naval ships and Air India planes to rescue not just its own people, but also Sri Lankan and Nepalese citizens. India is one of the largest contributors to United Nations Peacekeeping Force, and a big part of such operations involves providing medical relief and supplies.
Then there are the operations on the home front. The fact that we see so many disasters within our own boundaries, be it train accidents, terror attacks, floods, earthquakes and cyclones, means that with time and repeated runs, the country's disaster relief apparatus has ironed out the kinks in its operations and now functions like a well-oiled apparatus.
Recall the massive evacuation taken up by the Air Force, Army, National Disaster Response Force, and paramilitary forces after the 2013 Uttarakhand floods. Immediately after that, some of these very same resources were deployed in Odisha to successfully conduct large-scale evacuations before Cyclone Hudhud made landfall.
The infuriating part is when such successes are attributed to the political dispensation in power. While political backing is necessary to undertake such operations, gaining political mileage out of them undermines the hard work done by the brave men and women who put themselves in harm's way to save countless lives. Any large-scale mobilization of military and civilian resources, especially to foreign shores, involves more than just the airlift and sealift that we see on television, but also diplomatic and bureaucratic backchannel negotiations.
The fact remains that these backchannels operate irrespective of the government in power. The fact remains that those ships and cargo planes and the people who operate them, those doctors and rescue specialists, will continue to be good at their jobs, and it won't matter which party is in the Centre. People like General VK Singh (a former Army chief nonetheless) should act responsibly rather than getting into an un-necessary war of words with certain news organizations on social media.
If one of the functions of a nation's military is also international diplomacy, then going forward, India should use its disaster relief and rescue capabilities, especially in the Indian Ocean region, to the hilt. A good idea would be to maintain a dedicated taskforce for overseas disaster zone deployment. India certainly has the means to do so.
At a time when we are seeking to counter China's growing dominance, and position ourselves as a regional giant with legitimate claims to a permanent membership of the UN Security Council, helping out other nations in times of need will gain us immense goodwill. It is certainly cheaper and better to provide relief to nations than to invade them!
