Qatar Releases 8 Indian Navy Officers Arrested for Spying
The 8 retired Indian Navy Officers arrested & sentenced to death by the Qatar government for alleged spying, have returned safely to India after being released by the Qatar authorities.
Do you remember those 8 Indian Navy officers that were arrested and sentenced to death by Qatar government for alleged spying? ISH had released a video on the news in October 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duMt1IWNt_
Those 8 retired Indian navy officials were working in an armed force training company - Dahra Global in Oman had been jailed in Qatar since October 2022. They were accused of spying on a submarine program. The Qatar court had initially sentenced them to death on undisclosed charges. PM Modi met with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani during the COP28 Summit (climate change conference) in Dubai in December 2023 and discussed the well-being of the Indian community in Qatar. In January 2024, Officers' death penalty was converted to prolonged prison terms because of PM Modi’s meeting & Indian government’s diplomatic intervention. The recent update in this case is actually a good news. Qatar has released all those 8 Indian Navy officers on the orders of the Emir (ruler) of the State of Qatar. The Ministry of External Affairs of India (MEA) announced the release on 12th February 2024 through an official statement. The statement also acknowledged and appreciated the decision made by the Emir of the State of Qatar. According to reports, seven of them have already returned to India. The video of the Navy veterans exiting the airport is going viral on social media.
During an interview, all the veterans thanked PM Modi for building such strong ties with Qatar and for his personal intervention in the matter. One of the veterans said “We waited almost for 18 months to be back in India. We are extremely grateful to the PM. It wouldn’t have been possible without his personal intervention and his equation with Qatar. We are grateful to the Government of India from the bottom of our hearts for every effort that has been made and this day won’t have been possible without those efforts”. The Indian government also expressed gratitude to the Emir (ruler) of the State of Qatar & Qatar authorities for the release of the eight naval officers. The return of our navy veterans is being considered as a major diplomatic win for India.
