Qatar releases 8 former Indian marines
Qatar has released 8 former Indian marines. Of these, 7 returned to India on Monday morning. He was serving life imprisonment in Qatar on charges of espionage. Earlier he was sentenced to death.
The Ministry of External Affairs said late on Monday (February 12) – Government of India welcomes the release of 8 Indians working for Dahra Global Company arrested in Qatar. We appreciate Qatar’s decision to allow them to return home. The State Security Bureau of Qatar’s intelligence agency arrested 8 former marines on August 30, 2022.
Former naval officer said – release was not possible without Modi
After returning to Delhi airport, some former marines spoke to the media. A former marine said- Without the intervention of PM Modi, it would not have been possible for us to return to India. We could come back only after the continuous efforts of the Indian Government. Another former marine said- We have been able to come to India after 18 months. We thank PM Modi and the Government of India for their efforts. It feels good to be back home.
Death sentence was changed to life imprisonment 45 days ago
All these officers worked in Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy, a private company that provides training to Qatar’s navy.
Dahra provides global defense services. Retired Squadron Leader Khamis Al Ajami of Oman Air Force is its chief. He was also arrested along with 8 Indian nationals, but was released in November.
All these former Navy officers were sentenced to death on 26 October 2023, about 14 months after their arrest. On December 28, 2023, his death sentence was commuted to imprisonment.
One aspect related to the release is also…
According to BBC, this release has happened at a time when an important agreement has been signed between India and Qatar regarding gas. Under this agreement signed on February 6, India will buy Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from Qatar till the year 2048.
This agreement is for the next 20 years and its total cost is 78 billion dollars. Petronet LNG Limited (PLL), India’s largest LNG importing company, has signed this agreement with Qatar’s government company Qatar Energy. Under this agreement, Qatar will export 7.5 million tonnes of gas to India every year. This gas is used to generate electricity, fertilizer and convert it into CNG.
