As I recently passed the Iranian consulate in Hyderabad mymind was drawn to the city’s connections with that country and the largerquestions of the establishment of consular representations and contacts withforeign communities that have a special connection with a country.
Hyderabad was founded in 1591 by the Qutb Shahi sultans whoruled the kingdom of Golconda from 1519 till it was conquered by emperorAurangzeb in 1586. The Qutb Shahis came to India from Iran and initially soughtto infuse their kingdom with Persian cultural traditions which are reflected inthe city’s monuments such as the Charminar. Indeed, Hyderabad itself is said tobe inspired by Isfahan. The Qutb Shahis were Shias and observed Muharramexpansively and with great solemnity. Hyderabad became a prominent Shia centreand remains so. This is so though neither the Mughals nor the Asaf Jahi Nizams,formally Mughal governors but virtually independent with the collapse of theempire in the 18th century, were so.
The Iranian impulse to have a consulate in Hyderabad is nodoubt on account of the Shia connection. After the Islamic Revolution in 1979the Iranian system has given particular attention to strengthen its web ofrelations with Shia communities the world over. South Asian communities havenot been excluded. In some cases, the attention given to a Shia community hascontributed to Iranian interests as in Iraq. In other instances, such attentionhas made the relationship complex and given rise to major irritants as inPakistan. However, in many the question of why Iran is expending resources onmaintaining links with the Shias inter alia through the setting up ofconsulates such as in Hyderabad do not lend themselves to easy answers. Indiais in such a group of countries.
Hyderabad is a centre of the Indian hi-tech industry butwith US sanctions and furthermore with no early end to these sanctions in sightit is unlikely that the Iranian consulate could play a role in promotingbilateral contacts in this important area. It is equally unlikely that the Shiacommunity would like to or is capable of playing a major role in lobbying forIran in developing Indo-Iran ties. Certainly, Iran would like influential groups to speak on its behalf inits on-going problems with the US and with major Peninsular Arab states. Thiswould be a critical factor, especially these days, when President Trump isgoing all out after Iran. Departing from diplomatic practice, Secretary ofState Mike Pompeo called Iran a terrorist state during his recent visit to Indiaand that too with his Indian counterpart sitting beside him. The role ofsupporting the Iranian view will be played, if at all, by Indian politicalforces that are traditionally opposed to US global policies and not theHyderabadi Shias.
The presence of the consulate would be useful to those inHyderabad who wish to travel to Iran and Iranian students and families in thecity. Often such a reason is taken as sufficient to set up consularrepresentation. Indeed, in terms of classical diplomatic practice embassies aremeant to maintain political contact while consulates’ functions are thepromotion of people-to-people and trade and economic ties. In recent times thiswater-tight distinction has largely broken down.
Thus, Indian consulates in important US centres such as SanFrancisco, New York, Chicago and Atlanta are expected to maintain contacts withprominent national political players who can play an effective role inpromoting India-US ties. It is here that the Iran’s Hyderabad consulate would serveonly a limited purpose except on the rare occasion that a leader from Hyderabadbecomes prominent on the national stage as in the case of Narasimha Rao. Ofcourse, consulates also provide insights into thinking on issues of currentimportance in the areas where they are located. Iran’s Hyderabad consulatewould be taking soundings in the Hyderabad Muslim community on the triple talaqissue and conveying it to Iran. This comes within its normal functions.
That some community lobbies in major countries succeed inlocking in important foreign policy positions on an enduring basis is bestexemplified by the Jewish lobby in the US. It has ensured that the US maintainsthe closest of ties with Israel. More significantly it has also ensured thatoften the US looks at the West Asian situation through Israeli eyes. The Jewishlobby has great influence in important segments of US national life includingacademia, media, finance and the professions. The Israeli consulate in New Yorkamong other Israeli representations plays a co-ordinating role in thiscontinuous and successful endeavour.
India too maintains close links with expatriate Indiancommunities. The BJP led governments have put an enormous emphasis on them as aresource which contributes to India’s foreign policy objectives. In the US theIndian community has acquired substantial political influence in Congress aswell as the executive branch to push for closer Indo-US ties and in the processadvocate opinions which coincide with Indian views. This was clearly witnessedduring the Indo-US nuclear deal negotiating process. Thus, Indian consulatesmaintain close contacts with the communities. This helps in mobilising them andserves Indian interests.
Ultimately the utility of consulates and the mobilisation ofcommunities of a country’s origin has to be judged on the anvil of nationalinterest. Nostalgia and evoking the past may create a good atmosphere ininter-state interaction but is seldom able to achieve more.