Eight former Indian Navy veterans who were in the custody of the Qatari court were freed on Monday. Seven of them had already returned to India, acording to a statement from the ministry of external affairs. The MEA applauded the court's ruling in Qatar to free the eight former Indian Navy personnel who had been given death sentences.
Speaking with media, one of the Navy veterans who returned from Qatar said: "It wouldn't have been possible for us to stand here without the intervention of PM Modi. And it also happened due to the continuous efforts of the Government of India."
Crediting PM Modi's equation with Qatar behind the release, another ex-navy veteran stated: "We waited almost for 18 months to be back in India. We are extremely grateful to the PM. It wouldn't have been possible without his personal intervention and his equation with Qatar. We are grateful to the Government of India from the bottom of our hearts for every effort that has been made and this day won't have been possible without those efforts."
“The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained in Qatar. Seven out of the eight of them have returned to India. We appreciate the decision by the Amir of the State of Qatar to enable the release and home-coming of these nationals,” reads the official statement issued by MEA.