India\'s Diplomacy Tested Over Death Penalty for Eight Ex-Navy Personnel in Qatar

NEW DELHI: India is understood to be in touch with Qatar at various levels after the death penalty announced on Thursday by a Qatari court on eight former Indian Navy personnel, who had reportedly faced espionage charges. On Friday, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar spoke to Oman foreign minister Badr Albusaidi, a significant move given that Oman remains one of India’s closest strategic Arab partners in the Gulf region, though it is unclear whether the Qatar verdict was brought up by the minister during the conversation. Mr Jaishankar said bilateral ties and the West Asia situation were discussed.

The case involving the eight Indians is expected to fully test India’s diplomacy in the region, given the lakhs of Indian citizens living and working in Gulf nations. Both Oman and Qatar are part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The Indian government will also have to tread carefully in the matter as Qatar plays an important role in India’s energy security and is one of the largest suppliers of LNG to India.

India has said it will challenge the verdict of the the Qatari Court of First Instance, and had reacted with “deep shock” at the verdict on Thursday. It said it attaches high importance to the case, and is in touch with the family members of the eight Indians, exploring all legal options and will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. It had added it did not want to make any further comment at this stage “due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case”. New Delhi will pore over the detailed court judgment to mount a serious and sustained legal challenge to the verdict, given that eight Indian lives are at stake.

The BJP. meanwhile, said on Friday that India will fight a legal battle to bring back all the eight former Indian Navy personnel who have been sentenced to death in Qatar.

Replying to a question on the issue at a press conference at the party headquarters, BJP spokesperson Ajay Alok said the external affairs ministry was looking into the matter. “India has duly placed its stand on the issue..We are surprised to see that such things happen. We will fight a legal battle in this matter. The International Court of Justice is there. I think the Government of India will place its stand and we 

will definitely succeed in bringing them back,” he added.

The charges on which the eight Indians have been given the death sentence have still not been spelt out officially by Qatar and New Delhi too has not stated these in public, only saying that the charges levelled by Qatar against the eight Indians were presented as part of the hearings. According to media reports over the past several months, the eight Indians had been accused by the tiny oil-rich Gulf nation of spying for Israel on a secret Qatari programme related to stealth submarines. The eight Indians were reportedly employees of an Oman-based company Dahra Global Technologies and Consulting Services, a company advising on a Qatari programme aimed at obtaining high-tech Italian-made submarines that could evade radar detection and providing training for Qatar’s Navy. They were all reportedly picked up from their residences in Qatar in August last year for questioning and subsequently detained.