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Historical Links between india and the Gulf
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ln Bahrain, protective duties were assigned first to lndians from Baluchistan,
many of whom were recruited in Muscat in the early 20th centu.yr ln the wake
of an assassination attempt against the British Poliitcal Agent,Major Daly,by
a Baluchi soldier in 1926, security duties were assigned for some time to two
lndian regiments. Until 1932 the entire police of Bahrain consisted of Punjabi
soldiers who were recruited by the adviser to the Government of Bahrain, Sir
Charles Belgrave, with the assistance of the lndian military authorities. 88
Thereafter, Bahrainis were included but one third of the force remained
lndians for security reasons as justified by the British Resident. To prepare
the Bahrainis for undertaking their duties in the police force, they were trained
by instructors brought from the lndian army in Karachi. Some of the very first
among them received advanced training and military know0edge at
academies in Karachi and Bombay.
The hndian Presence in the Gulf
With British hegemony over the Gulf states, the position of the lndian
merchants in the region was reinforced, the number of these merchants
increased, and their activities stretched to include businesses other than
those related to the pearling industry.
Among the factors leading to this new situation was the protection which the
lndian merchants came to enjoy under British rule in the Gulf due to the fact
that they were considered to be British subjects. ١n all treaties conducted
between the British lndian Authorities and the Guﺇf Principalities there were
articles asserting such protection and privileges. Prior to these treaties, the
lndian merchants faced insecurity which restricted their existence in large
numbers in the region. Their businesses and commercial vessels were, on
many occasions, victims of domestic instabilities in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain,
and the Trucial Sheikhdoms or victims of tribal wars between the ruler of this
states. 89 On other occasions, they were victims of the struggle for
dominance by such forces as the Wahhabis, the Ottomans, and the Persians.
so.