Operation Dost: Big Indian assistance to Turkey testifies its humanitarian preference over politics

The viral photo of a Turkish woman tightly hugging an Indian female military officer would have drawn your attention to India’s unprecedented humanitarian aid and rescue operation being carried out right now in Turkey and Syria. India has been providing humanitarian aid to Turkey and Syria in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck these nations this week. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake caused widespread destruction with the deaths of over 21,000 people while leaving thousands homeless and in need of assistance. Despite political differences with Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over his interfering attitude towards Kashmir in favour of Pakistan, and his past remarks attacking the integrity of India, the Indian government has still preferred humanity over politics. The Modi administration launched ‘Operation Dost’ and sent several search and rescue teams, materials, medicines, equipment and hospital facilities to Turkey. The operation was christened as ‘Dost’ which means ‘Friend’ in Hindi as well as Turkish literature. Turkey’s ambassador to India, Firat Sunel tweeted the Turkish proverb “Dost kara günde belli olur" which translates to the famous quote - “A friend in need is a friend indeed”. The Indian rescue teams also consist of two Turkish-speaking officers and four Ministry of External Affairs officers, along with doctors, nurses, and paramedics who are providing medical care and relief to those in need. According to the statistics released by Anadolu Agency, as of Thursday, India stands at fourth position right behind France, then Israel, and then Azerbaijan for deploying the highest number of rescue team personnel in Turkey. India’s disaster handling capabilities ‘Operation Dost’ has also proven India’s extraordinary disaster handling capabilities to act proactively beyond the borders. India faced similar disasters in the past. For instance, the famous 2001 Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat, which claimed over 20,000 lives and destroyed around 340,000 buildings. In fact, Prime Minister Modi has not only exuded a sympathetic attitude, but also an empathetic attitude towards Turkey and Syria, owing to what his own home town Gujarat faced in 2001. The prime minister currently heads the governing authority for disaster management in India, which is known as the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). It is the responsibility of NDMA to establish the policies, plans, and regulations for disaster management. India wants to create a culture that emphasises preparedness, mitigation, prevention, and response. With its preparedness, India could immediately step in with the huge humanitarian mission to help Turkey during its testing times. Does the Indian government pursue ‘Anti-Muslim’ bigotry? The Left and Muslim Brotherhood media have always painted the Indian government as one of the most brutal and repressive governments that carries ‘Anti-Muslim’ bigotry. India is home to around 250 million Muslims, which is the second-largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia. India bagged the first position among different countries as the most inclusive nation for religious minorities, according to an Australia Today report published recently. Rationally speaking, if the government had pursued the anti-Muslim bigotry, then Prime Minister Modi would not have sent aircraft after aircrafts with humanitarian aid to Turkey and Syria where the majority of victims are Muslims. Operation Dost also busts the bubble of disinformation created by the Left and Islamists in the international arena, that the Indian Establishment hates anything that is Muslim and Islamic. If the Indian government with lightning speed could extend a helping hand to Turkey, whose government and media like TRT have always targeted India. Isn’t it implausible to accuse it of suppressing its own 250M Muslim minority? ‘Operation Dost’ also shows that the Indian establishment believes in building bridges, holding dialogues and preferring compassion over coercion. Conclusion Loved the thought of Bangalore-based Business coach Rajiv Talreja who tweeted, “Turkey opposed Article 370, but in their crisis, India is one of the first responders to support. The World doesn’t get India. India is the superpower the world deserves - Empathetic, Deep Rooted and Forward Thinking. Find it even amusing that so many Indians don’t get it. Whether India, Israel, France, UAE or Saudi Arabia, these are the countries whom Erdogan targeted in the past to magnify his neo-Ottoman aspirations. But these were the first countries who came flying with humanitarian aid. His fanboys should understand that the world is a place for mutual coexistence and empathy, not for supremacy. Meanwhile, India’s humanitarian aid to Turkey is a testament to the country’s commitment to helping those in need. India’s assistance is helping to ensure that the people of Turkey are able to rebuild their lives and recover from the devastating effects of the earthquake. Our sincere prayers and condolences with the calamity-afflicted people of Turkey and Syria. The author is a Saudi-based Indian national. He is Director of Milli Chronicle Media London. He holds a PG-Diploma in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI-ML) from IIIT. He did a certificate program in Counterterrorism from the University of Leiden, Netherlands. He tweets under @ZahackTanvir. Views expressed are personal. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.