India has discreetly launched efforts to address the situation involving the eight former Indian Navy personnel who were sentenced to death by a Qatari court. However, both Indian and Qatari authorities have remained tight-lipped about the matter as of Friday.
Qatar\’s authorities have maintained complete silence on the case, and it has not been reported in the country\’s media. According to sources familiar with the matter, the Indian side has not yet officially received a copy of the verdict from Qatar\’s Court of First Instance.
Following the issuance of a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday expressing profound shock at the Qatari court\’s verdict and a commitment to explore all available legal options, there have been no further statements from the Indian side.
It has been reported that discreet diplomatic and official channels are being utilized to seek a resolution to the issue. One potential course of action being considered is the submission of an appeal against the verdict or the utilization of an agreement signed between India and Qatar in 2015. This agreement allows for the transfer of convicted prisoners so that they can serve their sentences in their home country. The Qatari side ratified this agreement in the same year, during a state visit to India by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar.
Another option being explored is approaching the International Court of Justice, a strategy that was employed in the case of former naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav. He was detained by Pakistani authorities in 2016 and subsequently sentenced to death by a military court on charges of alleged espionage.
There has been no communication from the former employer of the eight individuals, Oman-based Dahra Engineering & Security Services, which previously owned the now-defunct Dahra Global Technologies & Consultancy Services. Dahra Global was closed in May of this year and replaced by Advanced Services and Maintenance.
At the time of their arrest, all eight individuals were employed by Dahra Global Technologies & Consultancy Services, a private company that provided training and other services to Qatar\’s armed forces and security agencies. They were overseeing the introduction of Italian-made midget stealth submarines into the Qatari Navy.