Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s itinerary for his trip to the UAE will include a visit to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
Mr. Modi will visit the largest mosque in the UAE on August 17, the second and final day of his visit, an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said. During the trip, the Prime Minister will spend considerable time interacting with the Indian community and visit the International City Abu Dhabi, a massive labour camp that houses 26,000 workers, most of whom employees of hotels or industrial companies.
A large portion of the 2.6 million Indians in the UAE are from Bihar and many are Muslims.
Mr. Modi is visiting the UAE on the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Noting that it was the first visit of a Prime Minister to the UAE in 34 years, Mr. Modi said he was certain that it would boost people-to-people ties.
“During his visit, the PM will have in-depth discussions with the UAE leadership and will meet the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup told presspersons. He stressed that the visit was important since the UAE was India’s third largest trading partner. The visit was also important from an investment point of view. “We would like to impress upon them to invest in our infrastructure sector,” Mr. Swarup said.
The unconventional choices for the Prime Minister’s itinerary — visit to the Grand Mosque and a labour camp in Abu Dhabi — could point to a political pitch ahead of the coming Bihar elections. Bihar has a sizeable Muslim population (16.5 per cent) and Muslims form a crucial vote bank for the Nitish-Lalu combine in the State.
“The economic strides taken by the UAE are extremely admirable. The UAE is a global economic success story that has attracted people from all over the world. The UAE has also emerged as an important logistics hub ... During my visit, I seek to enhance cooperation in energy, trade and will talk to investors on why India is an attractive destination to invest,” the Prime Minister said.
Mr. Swarup said it would be a useful opportunity for the Prime Minister to interact with the 2.6 million Indians who lived in the UAE.
Thousands of members of the Indian diaspora in the UAE have registered for a mega event in Dubai on Monday to be addressed by Mr. Modi.
According to organisers, the event, to be held at the Dubai Cricket Stadium, is expected to be attended by a crowd of around 50,000.
