New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefly met Qatar’s Amir (ruler), Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai Friday, where the two discussed the “well-being of the Indian community in Qatar”. This comes in the midst of an ongoing case involving eight Indian Navy veterans, who have been imprisoned in the Middle Eastern country for over a year and have appealed against a death sentence issued by a Qatari court.
In a statement on social media platform X (previously Twitter), the Indian Prime Minister said: “On the sidelines of the COP28 Summit in Dubai yesterday, had the opportunity to meet HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Amir of Qatar”.
The two leaders had a “good conversation” on the potential of bilateral partnership and the “well-being of the Indian community in Qatar”, he added.
The Indian Prime Minister and Qatar’s Amir only exchanged pleasantries at the COP28 Summit. They did not hold a sit-down bilateral meeting.
On 26 October, eight Indian Navy veterans were sentenced to death by a court in Qatar. Though the charges have still not been made public, it is suspected to concern the sharing of sensitive information with unauthorised people. The MEA had at the time called the verdict “shocking” and pledged to take up the matter with Qatari authorities.
Also read: For 8 ‘tortured’ Indian Navy veterans sentenced to death in Qatar, here is the road ahead
‘Judgment, entire procedure, made confidential’
The eight former naval veterans from India worked for Dahra Global Technologies & Consulting Services, a company engaged in training Qatari navy personnel. Last August, they were picked up by Qatari intelligence authorities and incarcerated in Doha.
Last month, a Qatari court reportedly accepted the appeals made by the eight Indian Navy veterans against the death sentence awarded them in October.
If all appeals fail, they will need to approach the Amir of Qatar, who has the authority to pardon any prisoner or commute a sentence. The Amir issues pardons only on specific occasions such as Eid and Qatar’s National Day, 18 December.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been providing consular and legal assistance to the eight Navy veterans. Last month, the MEA spokesperson said “the judgment and the entire process has been made confidential by the Qatari side”.
On 1 December, during an event in New Delhi, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said the government is making all-out efforts to bring back the eight former officers.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
Also read: Not all is lost for India and Navy veterans on death row in Qatar. Remember Italian marines?