Dr. Malik Hasan
The Indian Ocean houses almost 20 percent of planet’s water. In its north is Asiatic Monsoon, Australia in east, Antarctic in south and African Coast to west. It is surrounded by 38 countries out of which 23 are Muslim; 13 are African, 22 Asian, 1 Oceania and 2 European Bases. Moreover it is significant to know that all major choke points are part of Muslim states; hence it becomes the legal and moral responsibility of these Muslim states to adopt a common strategy in unison for peace and prosperity not only in Indian Ocean but also in the world as through these choke points they can control more than 70 % of global shipping and submarines routes in Indian Ocean Region.
Malacca Strait as part of archipelago which serves as a boundary between Indian and Pacific Oceans. With maximum width of 10,000 km Indian Ocean encompasses island countries like Comoros Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Indonesian archipelago.
Indian Ocean remains navigable throughout the year with Bab el Mandeb in Yemen, Hormuz in Iran, Lombok, Sunda and Malacca Straits in Indonesia as the key choke points through which every year 21,900, 5110, 3900, 3500 and 120,000 ships navigate respectively. Major ports are Singapore, Chittagong, Colombo, Hambantota, Mumbai, Gwadar Karachi, Chabahar, Jask, Salalah, Muscat and Dubai Port World. Gwadar port is a geo-political manoeuver space which is also linked to Atlantic through Suez Canal. Port Sudan,Mombasa, Dares Salaam, ZanzibarBeira, and Port Louis, Babel Mandeb, Hurmoz and Malacca Strait regulate the major SLOCs.
Like any other country in order to protect its national interests Beijing also will be protecting its SLOCs in Indian Ocean, from where 80% of its hydrocarbon energy flows by adopting a “String of Pearls Strategy”to develop hinterland and port infrastructure along Indian Ocean Coast from Thailand to Djibouti. Settlement of issues like Chagos Archipelago; which are occupied by UK since 1965 and has been transformed into a combined UK-US naval base needs to be handed back to Mauritius.KhuriyaMuriya Islands, a cluster of five islands in the Arabian Sea, 40 km off the southeastern coast of the Sultanate of Omanalso needs to be freed from British Colonisation since 1854.South Talpatti Island which lies in Bay of Bengaland claimed by bothBangladesh and India also needs attention of united littoral Muslims countries. Apart from Islands Indian Ocean encompasses a few territorial disputes as well. Sir Creek is an important one between Pakistan and India over a 96 km long narrow sea incursion in Arabian Sea, which is part of Kutch district in Pakistan however is unjustly claimed by India.Kashmiris a world renowned issue, as despite beinga 100 % Muslim dominated area was forcefully occupied by India during the partition of subcontinent in 1947 and ever since 1948 Kashmiris are waiting for the UN promised plebiscite to join Pakistan. It is significant to understand that the dispute between two arch nuclear rivals can affect the global trade and stability in entire Indo-Pacific Region.
As 17 million barrels oil per day passes through Hormuz Strait to China, Japan and South Korea through US dominated Malacca Strait hence Chinese firm foothold in South China Sea and presence at Hambantota, Coco Island in the Bay of Bengal and Djibouti is further enhancing SLOCs security concerns especially between China and US. With a view to counter ever increasing Chinese foothold in Paracel Islands, Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands, U.S is making diplo-military efforts like QUAD and AUKUS to contain China, however China being growing economy has time at its end and it appears that frustrated US is making such efforts to gain Chinese attention for some concession.
Where a few regional countries like Australia, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, South Korea, India and Pakistan are trying to secure the SLOCs, a few extra regional countries including US and UK at the same time trying to maintain their leadership. While being the 60 per cent of Indian Ocean Littoral states it is morale responsibility of Muslim littoral states to be united and by following the great Muslim admirals like Khair-Udin Barbarossa and Zheng He who once controlled Mediterranean Sea and Indo-Pacific Oceans must make all diplo-military efforts to not only to secure their own SLOCs but also to enhance peace and stability in Indo-Pacific Region. It will be prudent to make the Indian Ocean a harmonious ocean for a pragmaticsocio-economic development of all the littoral states and global trade.