The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that the lone Indian national who could not return to India from Qatar along with seven of his colleagues will return home once certain requirements are fulfilled, as reported by news agency PTI. Seven of the eight former Indian Navy personnel returned to India on February 12 after Qatar freed them.
Qatar's Court of First Instance gave a death sentence to the Navy veterans on October 26 last year. The Court of Appeal in the Gulf country commuted the capital punishment on December 28 and sentenced them to jail terms for varying durations. The former Indian Navy personnel apparently faced charges of espionage, but neither the Qatari authorities nor New Delhi made the charges against them public.
"As you know, all eight Indian nationals who were involved in the Al-Dahra Global case have been released. Seven of them have returned to India," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing in the national capital, as quoted by PTI. In response to a query, Jaiswal said, "The eighth Indian national has certain requirements to fulfill. He will return as and when those are completed".
During his recent visit to Qatar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his "deep appreciation" to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for the release of the eight Indians.
They were sentenced to death after their arrest in August 2022. The former Navy officials were working with a private firm there named Al Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, headquartered in Doha. The released was hailed as a major dilomatic triumph for India as the decision was taken after constant government intervention and after PM Modi raised the issue and urged Doha to halt the death penalty.
The charges against the ex-Navy men filed in March last year where not made public by the the Qatari authorities or New Delhi. They were being tried under the Qatari law.