India’s Increasing Influence in UAE and its Implications for Pakistan

For several decades, India’s footprint in the UAE has risen, with economic, diplomatic, and cultural footprints all increasing in size and scope. Report: Significant Growth in UAE-India Trade Partnership In the wake of this rapid economic progress, the growing UAE-India trade ties have been strengthened between the two nations, as UAE is one of the largest trading partners of India, resulting in increased investments and joint ventures in various sectors along with bilateral cooperation. Another pillar is the homegrown Indian expatriate community in the UAE, millions of whom help fill the UAE workforce and add to the cultural interchange. Due to its expanding ties with India, the UAE has taken a more pro-India approach to political relations and defense cooperation. The Indo-UAE relations have consequences for Pakistan, that was always thought to be Pakistan's counterbalancing partner especially for India under previous regimes. The escalating closeness between UAE and India has upset Pakistan because it is a strategic rival of India. Pakistan has been worried about its shrinking influence in the Gulf region, where it used to have considerable leverage. Besides, Pakistan's relations with the UAE have at times soured more historically with UAE's progressive political and economic rapprochement with India upsetting the balance of power in the region. Because of this new geo-strategic relationship between the United Arab Emirates and India, Pakistan has had to adjust its geo-political stance and rethink its foreign relations and economic agreements in the region.