India has achieved a significant diplomatic win. Eight former Indian soldiers who were detained in Qatar on suspicion of espionage have been freed. Seven of these former marines have reportedly been released and returned to their home country, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. There are rumors that as soon as the former marines arrived back home from Qatar, they chanted Bharat Mata ki Jai.
Also Read: Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin Rushed Back To Hospital Again, Transfers Duties
Upon his return to India from Qatar, the Navy officer stated that we would not have been able to return absentee PM Modi’s involvement. The Indian government had been working nonstop to get us released. We waited for about eighteen months to return to India, recalls one of the Navy veterans who just got back from Qatar. We sincerely appreciate the PM’s assistance. Without both his personal intervention and his agreement with Qatar, this would not have been feasible. We sincerely thank the Government of India for all of its efforts, without which this day would not have been possible.
The Ministry of External Affairs released the following statement regarding the release of ex-servicemen: “The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian citizens who were detained in Qatar and were employed by Dahra Global Company.” Out of the eight, seven have gone back to India. We applaud the Emir Sheikh of Qatar’s decision to allow these countrymen to be released and return home.
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 Rakesh are the eight former Indian Navy personnel. He was employed by the defense services and services provider Aldahra Global Technologies and Consultancy in Qatar.
Let us inform you that these eight ex-Indian troops were all sentenced to death by a Qatari court on October 26, 2023, after they were all detained in August 2022 on suspicion of espionage. Following this, the Indian government began looking into possible legal avenues for the individuals’ release.
Following this, the execution sentence of the former marines was commuted to life in prison following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on December 1, 2023, outside the COP28 summit in Dubai.
Also Read: Thick Layer Of Fog Engulfs Delhi NCR, Several Flights Delayed