New Delhi: The Congress on Monday welcomed the release of eight former Indian naval personnel by Qatar, albeit it also lambasted the government for its perceived failure to address the situation in a timely manner, allowing it to escalate to a serious level. The Navy veterans were on October 26 last year given death sentences by Qatar's Court of First Instance in a case of suspected espionage.
Qatar has released eight former Indian Navy personnel and seven of them returned to India early Monday. This follows a decision to commute their death sentences, originally handed down last October, to varying prison terms. While the individuals were initially charged with espionage, the specific details of the allegations were not disclosed by either Qatari authorities or the Indian government, reported PTI.
Congress Lambasted At BJP For Delaying The Matter
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh expressed the party's relief and happiness over the return of the former naval personnel, extending warm wishes to them and their families. He posted on X, "The Indian National Congress joins the entire nation in its relief and happiness that the eight former Indian Navy personnel earlier sentenced to death by a court in Qatar have been released and are back home. It sends its greetings and good wishes to them and their families".
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor echoed these sentiments, describing the release as a "moment of quiet celebration" for all Indians and commending the efforts made behind the scenes to secure their freedom.
However, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate raised questions about why the situation had been allowed to escalate to such a serious level. "We welcome this (their release) and are relieved that they have returned to their families but why did the situation reach this far", she said in response to a question at a press conference.
Shrinate further criticised the government's alleged negligence, claiming a failure to act despite Congress MPs raising the issue in Parliament. She accused the government of claiming victory only after the crisis had been resolved, rather than addressing the root causes of the problem and ensuring timely assistance to those in need, as per PTI.
On December 28, the Court of Appeal in the Gulf nation commuted the capital punishment of the eight Navy veterans and sentenced them to imprisonment for varying durations. The individuals, who are Indian nationals, were employed by the private company Al Dahra and were arrested in August 2022.
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