Egypt-India cooperation puts spotlight on military-backed abuses

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi arrived in India yesterday for the start of a three-day visit, on the invitation of President Pranab Mukherjee, as part of an effort to foster closer ties between Asia and Africa.

Prime Minister of India, who is holding talks with Al-Sisi today, tweeted earlier: “India is ready to be a reliable partner in fulfilment of Egypt’s developmental, economic and security goals.”

Egypt and India have agreed that terrorism is one of the greatest threats facing their countries – Al-Sisi told the Hindu newspaper that terrorism is a “common enemy” that “knows no religion or borders” and has said he wants the two countries to take collective action against radicalisation and recruitment.

At home, Al-Sisi and his military-backed government have used the pretext of terrorism to crack down on tens of thousands of Egyptians who oppose his rule. Police and security forces fire on protesters, torture them, detain them in inhumane conditions and sentence them in mass trials.

Human rights abuses in India were brought into the spotlight in July when Indian troops fired live ammunition, pellet guns and teargas on protesters in Kashmir. Many had to undergo surgery to remove steel pellets from their eyes.