THE release of eight ex-Indian Navy personnel jailed by Qatar on charges of espionage adds another glorious chapter to India’s quiet and meaningful diplomacy that always seeks the good of Indians caught in geopolitical maelstrom. The entire episode had too many cloaks of secrecy wrapped around it since the eight former navymen working for a private company, Al Dahra, were caught in August 2022 and were later sentenced to death in October 2023. It still remains unclear what the actual charges were and on what grounds the release and return of the eight people to India was finalised. Given the haze surrounding the case it is unlikely that the details would come out in public domain in the immediate future which makes it all the more necessary to bestow full plaudits on Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and his seasoned team of diplomats.

 

The episode is definitely a major diplomatic victory for New Delhi which has walked a delicate path to convince Doha without disturbing the trade and geopolitical relations. The release of the former Indian Navy personnel demands a quiet celebration given the grave charges of espionage they were facing. Yet, the case looked like a result of the current geopolitical situation dominated by tensions in the Middle-East. The arrested people were employed by a Qatari company to impart technical knowledge to its personnel. The charges of spying for Israel, supposedly on a submarine project initiated by Qatar as media reports from the Gulf nation suggested, looked a bit perplexing for the simple reason that the project was being commissioned in a foreign country.

 

Yet, as the case itself was caught in layers and layers of secrecy, India should heave a sigh of relief that the ordeal of the eight ex-Navy personnel is now over. India was clearly caught off-guard with the arrest of the eight people. The death sentence pronounced by Qatar’s Court of First Instance, too, was an unexpected twist in the case. New Delhi was clearly kept out of the loop by Doha on the entire episode which was evident from the time taken by India in shaping a formal response to the court verdict. Not that India was not aware of the arrest as External Affairs Minister Mr. S Jaishankar had assured the Parliament that the eight people were on the priority list but advised all to exercise patience. Providing consular access to the jailed personnel was also becoming a challenge but New Delhi pulled the right strings before the court commuted the capital punishment to jail terms of varying durations.

 

When it looked like a long haul and a protracted legal battle, the release of the eight people and their quiet homecoming has brought massive relief to the entire country. The twists and turns associated with the case and the pleasant but unexpected outcome show that Indian diplomacy has passed a truly challenging test.To ensure the homecoming of the personnel, India did not hesitate in leveraging its trade relations with the gas-rich nation. The strong economic partnership with Qatar, emphasised by Mr. Modi in the last few years, has played a big role in securing release of the jailed sailors. The latest episode also proves that India has changed the rules of the game when it comes to engaging the Gulf nations. It is no more a prism of religion that drives the Indian foreign policy for Islamic nations. Nor is there the compulsion of keeping distance with nations supportive of Pakistan. The growing trade ties between India and Qatar show that New Delhi has taken the Pakistan factor out of the equation, making the neighbour a non-entity. The Gulf nations are now strategic partners for India with their own right of friendships firmly intact and respected.