'The revolution in Egypt is good for India'

"In a long run, the revolution in Egypt is good for India too," said a senior official of government while talking to rediff.com.

Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman has declared that "President Hosni Mubarak has decided to step down from the office of President of the Republic and has charged the high council of the armed forces to administer the affairs of the country."

Suleiman's statement suggests that the military has acted under the leadership of Defence Minister Mohammed Hussein Tantawi. There was speculation about Suleiman's position in the current power set-up. 

India is closely watching the unfolding situation in Egypt. A senior officer told rediff.com that in the given situation, "the West is likely to guide the Egyptian army, which is dependent on it for money and weapons."

However, he completely ruled out any fear of Islamic fundamentalism or extremism in the developing situation in Cairo. He said, "Egypt is part of the Ummah and they have their own way of doing things. they have a pattern set since a thousand years. Its difficult for outsiders to understand the depth of how the Ummah works."

According to him, if the people's protest would have lingered on in Tahrir Square there was chances of it going into extremists hands, said the senior officer. He said the Obama administration tried to push it in right direction.

In 1952, Egypt  had a council of army officers who ruled the country. "The Egyptian army is very powerful and they have been political," says a senior officer, who deals with international relations.

He also said that one will have to see how the craving for freedom spreads in other Arab countries. The government in New Delhi is taking stock of the situation in other Arab countries with Indian migrants. "We have to take care because more than 5 million Indians work in the Gulf region. If the trend for freedom spreads, even the price of oil will be affected." However, summing up the Indian stand he said, "In the long run, these changes in the Arab world will make sense."