Oman comes full circle in our soft power diplomacy Meanwhile, during his visit to the Sultanate in February 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the ailing Sultan and discussed a host of regional issues and concerns. Share Via Email | A+A A- Oman's new sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, second from left of second row, attends the prayer ceremony for Sultan Qaboos' coffin at Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman. (Photo | AP) By posthumously bestowing the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2019 upon Sultan Qaboos of Oman, New Delhi seeks to mend some of the diplomatic faux pas committed by previous governments. Over time, India developed such soft power honours to expand its diplomatic footprint. These include having international figures as chief guests for Republic Day celebrations (since 1950) or bestowing the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding (since 1965) and International Gandhi Peace Prize (since 1995). There are also non-official awards like the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development (from 1986) to further Indian interests. Due to political considerations, Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award (since 1954), was also awarded to Nelson Mandela when India’s citizenship is the criteria.