Qatar-based media house, Al Jazeera, which is in bed Islamists and Jihadists across the globe has pointed its guns at India. On August 3, Al Jazeera published a report stating that the Indian government was developing a ‘secret’ navy base on the Mauritian islands of Agaléga.
India is secretly transforming the Mauritian island of Agaléga into a military hub for its navy.
An I-Unit investigation reveals a construction project funded by the Indian government with potentially devastating consequences for the islands inhabitants. #IslandOfSecrets
— Al Jazeera Investigations (@AJIunit) August 3, 2021
The report titled, “Evidence points to secret Indian navy base on Mauritian island” was branded as a ‘big exposé’ about ‘India’s secret plans’ on the publications’ social media platforms. However, turns out, the Qatar overlords of the news channel are many months late into delving into the news as TFI and several other major and minor publications have covered this news extensively in the past.
Trying to sound sophisticated and appear sleuthful, Al Jazeera wrote, “Satellite imagery, financial data and on-the-ground evidence obtained by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit point to India building a naval facility on the remote Mauritian island of Agaléga.”
There is no secret in this. It's a proud moment for Indians, the only one it truly hurts is China. So, Adding the element of secrecy to your story is a good marketing tactic. Also, it is fake news, but that's what AJ was kicked out of India for in the first place. https://t.co/b6vpqvFkQg
— Shubhangi Sharma (@ItsShubhangi) August 4, 2021
It is no secret that India is developing this naval base. Dozens of reports over the last few years have discussed this base and have discussed India brilliant diplomacy with the vanilla islands nation. Mauritius and India have excellent bilateral relation and people to people ties. Under PM Pravind Jugnauth, those ties have only soared. Indians Are extremely proud of the diplomacy extended to the vanilla Islands as it strengthens India’s naval position against China’s invasive and belligerent ambition in the Indian Ocean
As reported by TFI, the project was broached during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2005 but was unable to get underway. Nevertheless, in 2015, after PM Modi visited the island nation, he signed an agreement to develop the strategically important airbase. A new life was granted to the project in 2018 when it was handed over to India’s AFSCONS Infrastructure.
Read More: Away from the global media glare, India has built a state-of-the-art military base in Mauritius
Significantly, just after two years of allocating the project to AFSCONS, the project has made remarkable progress by developing a 3000 meters long runway. Imagery from 2014 shows a barren land, but now it has turned into a full-fledged airstrip, as shown in the supposed ‘exclusive’ satellite footage by Al Jazeera.
Located about 1,000 kilometres north of Mauritius, the project is being developed by India. India’s “infrastructure development” agreements with Mauritius and Seychelles for the Agaléga island and Assumption island respectively are indicative of the initiation of Modi’s diplomatic success in capping China’s assertiveness, with India’s own foreign naval bases.
China, much before the Quad assumed a bigger role in the region, was on a rampage to corner India in the strategic important naval points in the Indian Ocean region. However, New Delhi under the leadership of PM Modi quickly jumped in and started to rectify the mistakes of its predecessors by taking a much active part in the region.
As reports surfaced that China had already installed a military base in the Maldives, the South Block expedited the process of leasing the Agaléga islands, keeping the Mauritian government in confidence. In 2018, the Vice Prime Minister of Mauritius, Fazila Jeewa- Daureeawoo, refrained from giving any details about the project to the state assembly as it would have alerted the Chinese by stating that it is “Subject to confidentiality and cannot be disclosed in part or full.”
Al Jazeera attempts to market the news story by terming India as an imperialist power that is coming after the locals of the island. However, the report finds no mention of the Chinese encroachment in the nearby ocean body and the fact that India’s presence in the island was thwarting China from taking full control of the Western Indian Ocean and in turn Mauritius.
Al Jazeera is nothing but an Islamic propaganda machinery. It leaves no stone unturned to malign the image of India and Hindus.
As a result, in 2018, the government had withdrawn the security clearance of Al Jazeera’s English television channel in the country after the broadcast of a documentary about terrorism in Kashmir that was deemed as being biased. Now, it has exposed itself for being lethargic, pedestrian and naive in the fast-developing world of news and its hit job on India and India’s naval ambitions reflects the mood of the masters it bats for.