External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Monday met the families of the eight former Indian Navy personnel given the death sentence by a Qatari court and assured them that the government will make all efforts to secure their release.

The meeting came four days after Qatar’s Court of First Instance gave its verdict in the case of the eight men, who were detained on undeclared charges in August 2022. Both India and Qatar have not provided details of the charges against the men, though reports have suggested they were held for alleged involvement in espionage.

“Met this morning with the families of the 8 Indians detained in Qatar. Stressed that Government attaches the highest importance to the case. Fully share the concerns and pain of the families,” Jaishankar posted on X after meeting the kin of the eight men.

“Underlined that Government will continue to make all efforts to secure their release. Will coordinate closely with the families in that regard,” he said.

People familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that Jaishankar had assured the families of the government’s unwavering commitment to efforts to secure their release. He also reiterated the priority attached by the government to the matter, the people said.

India has already launched quiet efforts to find a resolution to the issue of the eight men. The former envoy to Qatar, Deepak Mittal, who is currently joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, is understood to be playing a key role in these efforts.

Mittal’s last overseas posing was in Qatar and he was in the West Asian country when the eight men were detained. He has also met the men when the Indian side was granted consular access to them. Mittal has also handled several sensitive issues as a diplomat in recent years.

He was part of India’s outreach to Taliban leaders based in Doha when the group assumed power in Afghanistan after overthrowing the elected civilian government. He was also part of the Indian team that took up the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, the former Indian Navy officer given the death sentence by Pakistan on charges of spying, at the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

Last week, the external affairs ministry issued a statement expressing deep shock at the verdict by the Qatari court and pledging to look at all legal options.

Among the possibilities being looked at is filing an appeal against the verdict or using an agreement signed by India and Qatar in 2015 for the transfer of convicted prisoners so that they can complete their sentence in their home country.

There is also the possibility of approaching the International Court of Justice, as was done in the case of Jadhav, or petitioning the emir of Qatar for a pardon. The families of the eight men have already filed such a mercy petition. Qatar’s ruler usually issues orders pardoning prisoners on the country’s National Day on December 18 and on the Eid festivals.

The eight men were employees of a subsidiary of Oman-based Dahra Engineering & Security Services that was shut down in May. The defunct private firm provided training and other services to Qatar’s armed forces and security agencies. The men were believed to have been overseeing the induction of Italian-made midget stealth submarines into the Qatari Navy.