As New Delhi is set to contest the Qatar court’s verdict of a death sentence to eight former Indian Navy personnel, opposition parties pilloried the government for not taking up the issue seriously when opposition MPs referred to the issue in Parliament. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said PM Modi must bring the officers back as he “boasted” how much Islamic countries love him. Congress MP Manish Tewari said the government never took the requests of the family members, Ex-Servicemen League and even MPs seriously.

“This is not a matter where we need to indulge in ‘he said, she said’ or score brownie points. The lives of 08 very senior naval personnel are at stake,” the Congress MP wrote.

“Their families were never informed what the charges against them were. Even the Lawyer engaged for their defence was I am informed evasive with the families,” Manish Tewari added.

“The Indian National Congress has noted with the greatest anguish, distress and shock the most disturbing developments in Qatar regarding 8 former officers of the Indian Navy. It hopes and expects that the Govt of India will use its diplomatic and political leverage with the Qatar government to the maximum to ensure that the officers have full recourse to appeals and also do the utmost to get them released at the earliest,” the Congress said in its statement on the death verdict.

Qatar death verdict to 8 Indians: What is the case?

Eight former Navy personnel — seven officers and one sailor — were working for Al Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private firm owned by an Oman Air Force officer that provided training and other services to Qatar’s armed forces and security agencies.

They were arrested in August 2022 and the charges against them were never declared because of confidentiality but it is believed to be espionage. The company shut the shop after the arrest of the eight Indians.

Managing director of the company Commander Purnendu Tiwari (retd) — one of the eight — received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award in 2019 for his services in furthering the bilateral relationship between India and Qatar.

Their bail pleas continued to be rejected and they were not allowed to meet their families until India intervened and got consular access.

New Delhi expressed deep shock at the verdict and said it would explore all legal options.

When Qatar summoned Indian envoy over Nupur Sharma’s comment on Prophet

In 2022, Qatar expressed displeasure over then-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s comment on the Prophet. Qatar summoned the Indian envoy and expected a public apology. While the BJP suspended Nupur Sharma, the Indian government made it clear that the comments came from fringe elements and did not reflect the views of the Indian government.