Eight Indian Ex- Navy Veterans released by Qatar court for unspecified charges. Eight Indian Navy veterans, who initially faced death sentences in Qatar, were released by Qatar in Doha.
The capital punishment was later converted to prolonged prison terms through diplomatic interventions by New Delhi. Indian government expressed gratitude for the release of the eight nationals.
The veterans – Captains Navtej Gill and Saurabh Vasisht, Commanders Purnendu Tiwari, Amit Nagpal, SK Gupta, BK Verma and Sugunakar Pakala, and sailor Ragesh – were detained in August 2022 on undeclared charges.
#WATCH | Delhi: Qatar released the eight Indian ex-Navy veterans who were in its custody; seven of them have returned to India. pic.twitter.com/yuYVx5N8zR
— ANI (@ANI) February 12, 2024
Seven of the men have already returned to India, Delhi’s foreign ministry said on Monday.
In January, authorities said their death penalty had been converted into prison sentences of “varying” lengths.
The Indian nationals who worked with the private company Al Dahra, were arrested in August 2022. Neither Qatar nor India revealed the charges against the men, who were working for Dahra Global, a private firm in Qatar.
The Navy veterans were on October 26 last year given death sentences by Qatar’s Court of First Instance in a case of suspected espionage.
In a post on ‘X’, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “The Indian National Congress joins the entire nation in its relief and happiness that the eight former Indian Navy personnel earlier sentenced to death by a court in Qatar have been released and are back home.” “It sends its greetings and good wishes to them and their families,” he said.
The Court of Appeal in the Gulf nation on December 28 last year commuted the capital punishment of the eight Navy veterans and sentenced them to jail terms for varying durations.
Eight Indian Ex- Navy veteran released by Qatar, PM Modi used bilateral Relations to free Naval officers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal relationship with the Emir of Qatar and behind-the-scenes diplomacy by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval ensured that the eight former Indian Navy personnel were released from custody.
While the diplomatic front was handled by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the delicate negotiations for t
he release of ex-Navy personnel were conducted by NSA Doval at the advice of PM Modi. NSA Doval made a number of quiet trips to Doha with the conviction that the Qatari leadership would understand the Indian point of view.
PM Modi met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai and discussed bilateral partnership and the “well-being of the Indian community” living in Qatar.
Last month, spokesperson for the ministry of external affairs Randhir Jaiswal said the temporal significance of this period, stating, “As far as the issue is concerned, there is a time of 60 days when this issue can be appealed in the Court of Cassation, which is the highest court in Qatar.”
The MEA’s legal team possesses the confidential court order detailing the commutation of the death sentences to imprisonment terms, a move revealed in a press release following the court of appeal’s judgment on December 28.
India and Qatar Relations
India and Qatar maintain friendly and cooperative relations, particularly in the areas of trade, energy, and labour. India and Qatar have significant economic ties, with Qatar being a major supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India. Bilateral trade between the two countries has been steadily growing, with both nations exploring avenues to enhance economic cooperation further.
Qatar is one of the largest suppliers of LNG to India, meeting a significant portion of India’s energy needs. India has also been exploring opportunities for investment in Qatar’s energy sector.
Qatar hosts a sizable Indian expatriate community, primarily engaged in sectors such as construction, healthcare, and information technology. The two countries have agreements in place to protect the rights of Indian workers in Qatar.
India and Qatar maintain diplomatic dialogues and exchanges at various levels to strengthen their bilateral relationship. High-level visits and interactions between leaders of the two countries contribute to enhancing cooperation in various fields.
India and Qatar have expressed mutual interest in deepening their strategic partnership, particularly in areas such as security, counter-terrorism, and defense cooperation.