ABSTRACT
Chapter 8 surveys India’s major interest in the oil-rich and conflict-ridden Gulf region which is recognized as India’s primary area of maritime interest. This is the region in which the western naval presence is formidable and permanent, which makes it difficult for India with multiple stakes, primarily ensuring the safety of India’s vast expatriate population and oil supplies. But the most critical source of insecurity is from non-military threats like terrorism, piracy and the other criminal networks operating from the Gulf which are the challenges that India finds difficult to manage alone. A no less compulsive reality is Pakistan’s deep state links with these asymmetrical forces. China’s grand and long-term project to integrate the Gulf into her Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the recent development whose implications for India’s interests and security demand the IN to reshape its regional security roles and strategies. The IN’s efforts to seek the maritime security cooperation and trust to combat the complex sources of threats to India’s vital interests in the Gulf region are narrated.
