Why in news?

• The Court of Appeal of Qatar commuted the death sentence of eight former Indian Navy personnel.
• These personnel were arrested last year in connection with an alleged case of espionage.

What’s in today’s article?

• India – Qatar Bilateral Relation
• Background of the case

India – Qatar Bilateral Relation

• High-level visits
  • The two countries have had friendly relations for decades.
  • Since PM Manmohan Singh’s visit to Qatar in November 2008, the first by an Indian Prime Minister, the relationship has burgeoned.
  • The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, visited India in 2015, and PM Modi went to Qatar in 2016.
  • The late Sushma Swaraj became the first Indian Foreign Minister to visit Qatar in 2018.
• Bilateral trade
  • In 2021, India was among the top four export destinations for Qatar; it is also among the top three sources of Qatar’s imports.
  • India’s total imports from Qatar in FY2022-23 were valued at $16.81 billion, of which LNG imports alone were worth $8.32 billion, or 49.5%.
    • Qatar is India’s largest source of liquefied natural gas (LNG)
  • India’s exports to Qatar were valued at just $1.97 billion in FY2022-23.
    • The major exports include cereals, copper articles, iron and steel articles, vegetables, fruits, spices, and processed food products.
• Defence co-operation
• Defence co-operation has been officially described as a pillar of Indian-Qatar ties.
• The India-Qatar Defence Cooperation Agreement, signed during PM Singh’s November 2008 visit, was a significant turning point. The agreement was extended for another five years in 2018.
  • Experts at that time described the agreement as just short of stationing troops.
• Indian Naval and Coast Guard ships regularly visit Qatar. QENF delegations participated in two maritime exercises in India in 2021.
• Two editions of a joint naval exercise called Zair Al Bahr have been held.
• Indian migrants in Qatar
  • Qatar has around 8 lakh Indian migrants, who send remittances back home.
  • In FY 2021-22, it sent the eighth-highest amount of remittances among all countries.

Challenges in India – Qatar Bilateral Relation

• BJP spokesperson’s derogatory references to the Prophet on a TV show
  • The first big challenge to the relationship came in June 2022 over BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s derogatory references to the Prophet on a TV show.
  • Qatar was the first country to object, and demand a “public apology” from India soon after the controversy erupted.
• Jailing of the eight ex-Navy personnel
  • The jailing of the eight ex-Navy personnel is the second big challenge of recent years.
  • The development blindsided New Delhi in a country where 800,000 Indians live and work. Indians are the largest expatriate community in Qatar.
• The boil over the Israeli bombardment of Gaza
  • The news of the death penalty for the Indians has come at a time when the Middle East is on the boil over the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
  • Qatar, which is deeply sympathetic to the Palestinians, has mediated the release of two American hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza, and the country’s diplomats are said to be working as a regional mediator in the crisis.

News Summary: Qatar commutes 8 former Indian Navy men’s death sentence

• Qatar has commuted the death sentence awarded to eight former Indian Navy officers over charges of espionage.

Background of the case

• Arrest of eight navy personnel
  • On August 30, 2022, eight former Indian Navy personnel, along with two others, were arrested on undeclared charges.
    • They were put in solitary confinement.
  • These personnel were working at Al Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a defence services provider company.
    • As per different sources, the Indians had been working in their private capacity with the company to oversee the induction of Italian small stealth submarines U2I2.
    • The company’s old website,which no longer exists, said it provided training, logistics and maintenance services to the Qatari Emiri Naval Force (QENF).
• Charges against the men
• The officers were jailed on charges that have not been made public.
• However, as per the media reports, the eight Indians had been charged with spying for Israel.
• Navy veterans were awarded death penalty
  • In March 2023, the last of multiple bail pleas filed for the veterans was rejected.
  • The trial began later that month and on October 26, 2023, the death sentence was handed to all eight men.
• Appeal filed by India
  • In November 2023, the MEA announced it had filed an appeal and that its legal team had details of the charges.
  • The Indian ambassador in Doha also met them in prison on December 3.
  • This consular access came days after PM Modi met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai on December 1.

What avenues have been available to India?

• One has been the legal challenge, which has been admitted and helped reduce the sentence for now as a first step.
• At the same time, India has been employing diplomatic channels to reach out to the Qataris.
• The families also filed a mercy plea with the Emir of Qatar, who is known to give out pardons during Ramadan and Eid.
  • This was also being pursued by the Indian government’s help.