Eight Indian Navy veterans released by Qatar, says Centre

The eight former Indian Navy officers jailed in Qatar and sentenced to death have been released, the External Affairs Ministry said on Monday.

“Seven out of the eight of them have returned to India,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement, welcoming their release. “We appreciate the decision by the Amir of the State of Qatar to enable the release and home-coming of these nationals.”

Later, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said at a press briefing that the eighth veteran officer has also been released. “We continue to work with the Qatar government to see how quickly his return to India would be possible,” said Kwatra.

He also stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to travel to Doha on February 14 and hold a bilateral meeting with Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad, the Amir of Qatar.

The eight former Indian Navy officers were arrested by Qatar’s intelligence service from Doha in August 2022 and had been held in solitary confinement since. Initially, some news reports suggested that the veterans had been detained on suspicion of spying for Israel. However, the Hindustan Times quoted unidentified Indian officials as rejecting the speculation.

The former officers were working for the private company Dahra Global, which reportedly provides training to the Qatari Navy. They were identified as Captain...

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