India not to station troops in Qatar: Official

ONBOARD PM'S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT: India will not station any troops in Qatar under the landmark defence and security cooperation agreements it signed with Doha but will go to the rescue if the latter's interests are threatened, a top official said on Tuesday.
    
"The defence and security cooperation agreements are the only one of the kind that India has signed with any country," he said.
    
Under the agreements, New Delhi has committed to protect assets and interests of Qatar from external threats. "The agreements are short of stationing troops," the official said but did not elaborate the form in which India will go to Qatar's rescue in case of a threat.
    
Qatar has a large US troops stationed on its soil but wanted more "comfort" and had been pursuing the deal with India since 2005.
    
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on his way back from the three-day visit to Gulf region, said the agreements pertain to maritime security and sharing of intelligence on threats posed by terrorists.
    
"We are living through dangerous times. Terrorism is a reality. Piracy on high seas is a reality and also trafficking and counterfeit currency is a reality. So, in all these matters, these agreements will help us establish a line of communication and facilitate investigation of crime," he said.
    
The defence pact lays out a structure for joint maritime security and training as well as exchange of visits, while the agreement on security and law enforcement lays out the framework for sharing of information and data base on threats posed by extremists and other security and legal matters.