Expressing concern over the fast-paced developments in the region and its impact on Indian expatriates in Qatar, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani has asked the Qatari authorities to take special care of the 172,000 strong Indian community in case of a turn in the situation.

Speaking at a reception hosted in his honour by the Indian community in Doha on Tuesday night, Advani, without referring to Iraq, said any developments in the region were a cause for concern. One could not even imagine the consequences and the situation that might arise, he added.

He said he had also raised the matter during his discussions with Qatari authorities. The Qatar government had sought to allay the fears saying that special care would be taken of the Indian community.

Asserting that India had become politically stable during the past five years, Advani asked the Indian expatriates to help make India a developed country by 2020 and assist their less fortunate brethren in economic development.

''The government is doing its bit and would continue to do so. But Indians abroad who are well off, should also help in the development of the countrymen who are less fortunate.''

Calling for giving up ''individual ambitions,'' a trend which had come up during the past several years, Advani exhorted the Indian community to pursue the goal of a ''collective ambition'' to make India a developed country by 2020.

UNI