Qatar has released 8 former Indian marines. Seven of them left on Monday morning to return to India. He was incarcerated for life in Qatar due to allegations of espionage.
The Ministry of External Affairs said late on Monday (February 12) – Government of India welcomes the release of 8 Indians working for Dahra Global Company arrested in Qatar. We appreciate Qatar’s decision to allow them to return home. The State Security Bureau of Qatar’s intelligence agency arrested 8 former marines on August 30, 2022.
According to a former navy officer, release would not be possible without Modi
A few ex-marines addressed the media after arriving back at the Delhi airport. According to a former marine, we would not have been able to return to India if PM Modi had not intervened. Only with the Indian government’s persistent efforts were we able to return. We are finally able to visit India after an 18-month absence, stated a different ex-marine. We acknowledge the efforts of Prime Minister Modi and the Indian government. It feels good to be at home again.
The death penalty was substituted with a life term. 45 days prior
All these officers worked in Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy, a private company that provides training to Qatar’s navy.
Dahra provides global defense services. Oman Air Force retired squadron leader Khamis Al Ajami serves as its commander. Along with eight Indian nationals, he was also taken into custody but was later freed in November.
Approximately 14 months after their capture, on October 26, 2023, all of these former Navy commanders received death sentences. His death sentence was reduced to imprisonment on December 28, 2023.
Another component of the release is…
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According to BBC, this release has happened at a time when an important agreement has been signed between India and Qatar regarding gas. Under this agreement signed on February 6, India will buy Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from Qatar till the year 2048.
This arrangement will cost 78 billion dollars over the course of the next 20 years. Petronet LNG Limited (PLL), India’s largest LNG importing company, has signed this agreement with Qatar’s government company Qatar Energy. As per the terms of this deal, Qatar would annually export 7.5 million tons of gas to India.This gas is used to generate electricity, fertilizer and convert it into CNG.
Arrest on 30 August 2022, Government of India not aware
The Indian Embassy was first informed about the arrest of the Indian marines in mid-September 2022. They were identified as Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vashishtha, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal and Sailor Ragesh.
On September 30, 2023, he was given permission to talk to his family members on telephone for a while. Consular access was granted for the first time on 3 October 2023, a month after his arrest. During this time an official of the Indian Embassy was allowed to meet him. On December 3, 2023, Indian Ambassador Nipul, who was present in Qatar, met the eight former marines.
Former Indian marines accused of spying for Israel
According to the Financial Times, 8 Indians were accused of spying for Israel. According to a report by Al-Jazeera, these people were accused of giving information related to Qatar’s submarine project to Israel.
However, Qatar never made the allegations public. On October 30, 2023, the families of these sailors met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Then India tried to take Turkey’s help to convince Qatar.
Turkiye has good relations with the royal family of Qatar, so the Indian government approached him for mediation. The Indian government also talked to America, because strategically America has a stronger hold on Qatar.
Now let us know about those 8 former Navy officers who were released by Qatar…
- Captain Navtej Singh Gill: According to Hindustan Times, Captain Navtej Singh Gill is from Chandigarh. His father is a retired army officer. He has been an instructor at the country’s famous Defense Services Staff College, Wellington, Tamil Nadu. He has been given the President’s Award for being the best cadet.
- Commander Purnendu Tiwari: Has been a top officer of the Navy. He is an expert in navigation. Commanded the warship INS ‘Magar’. The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award was given to retired commander Purnendu Tiwari, managing director of Dahra Company, in 2019 in recognition of his contributions to the development of India-Qatar bilateral relations. He is the only member of the armed forces to be honored with this distinction.
- Commander Sugunakar Pakala: According to the news of Times of India, 54 year old Sugunakar Pakala is a resident of Visakhapatnam. His tenure as a naval officer has been excellent. He joined the Navy at the age of 18. He retired from the Indian Navy in November 2013. After this he joined Qatar’s company Al Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy.
- Commander Sanjeev Gupta is known as a gunnery specialist.
- Commander Amit Nagpal is an expert in communication and electronic warfare systems in the Navy.
6.Captain Saurabh Vashishtha is known as a sharp technical officer. He has performed many difficult operations.
- Captain Birendra Kumar Verma is recognized for his navigational expertise.
- Sailor Ragesh worked as a maintenance and helping hand in the Navy.