India was introduced with a formidable diplomatic problem on October 26 when eight former Indian Navy officials held in Qatar on unknown charges since August 30 last year were sentenced to death by a Qatari ‘Court of First Instance’. Their households who have been hoping that back-channel efforts may safe their launch now face probably the most excessive prospect — the loss of life row. The court docket’s sentence left the Indian institution “deeply shocked”, as within the Ministry of External Affairs assertion. Some prima facie assessments will be made. First, all of the eight veterans receiving the utmost punishment appears to be an ‘unexpected outcome’. Second, the opacity of prices and the whole secrecy below which Qatar moved from trial to conviction in below seven months appear to have taken the Indian aspect without warning. Hopefully, the passage of time has allowed the Indian authorities to assimilate the total import of the judgment and weigh their choices.

The firm’s background, its work

The veterans have been working for an Omani firm, Dahra Global Technologies, in an related vertical based mostly out of Doha. It is known that the mentioned vertical has now been shuttered. The firm web site was deactivated quickly after information broke of the naval officers being incarcerated. If enterprise rivalry had any function to play in the whole saga, its goal has been singularly achieved.

The firm and the sort of work it was doing since 2009-10 wants deeper examination. The space of experience of Dahra at Doha was in coaching the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces (QENF). If we return a number of years, this area was largely stuffed by uniformed personnel from neighbouring international locations reminiscent of Pakistan and Bahrain. Qatar has a novel demography the place expatriates and migrant employees make up virtually 88% of the inhabitants.

One of the wealthiest international locations at the moment, the dominion of Qatar has historically loved a heat and cordial relationship with India. This author is conscious of requests made between 2006 and 2008 from numerous ranges of the Qatari institution and the QENF to supply coaching for his or her sailors and junior officers. This was at all times seen as a significant cog within the wheel of India-Qatar bilateral defence cooperation and international coverage. However, incompatible options and the Indian aspect dragging its toes presumably led to non-public enterprise filling the gaps.

By this time, Commander Purnendu Tiwari (one of many eight males), a distinguished naval veteran, had created a profitable enterprise in Singapore. The time was ripe to duplicate the mannequin in Qatar, with due changes being made to accommodate safety issues, and the tradition and milieu of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC).

With management and cooperation from all sides, the mannequin grew to become an instantaneous success, offering a worthwhile second profession possibility for gifted officers and males retiring from the Indian Navy. Contrary to speculative experiences which have discovered their method into the discourse, Cdr. Tiwari and his staff have been engaged solely in junior-level coaching and had completely nothing to do with any submarine mission, not to mention a categorised one.

Cdr. Tiwari was conferred the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award by the President of India Ram Nath Kovind in January 2019 for “enhancing India’s image abroad”. Cdr. Tiwari is the primary Indian armed forces veteran to be awarded this honour meant for non-resident Indians and a Person of Indian Origin.

India’s defence veterans have been delivering a sterling product to the QENF and had blended in with Qatari society. Most of them lived with their households in Qatar, with some relations pursuing their very own careers. Cdr. Tiwari’s staff, like each Indian among the many estimated diaspora of 8,00,000 Indians, was contributing its mite to constructing Qatar, below the management of HRH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. In my opinion, the veterans had completely no curiosity or incentive in spying or espionage as is being made out within the case towards them. What random acts of indiscretion or oversight led to the framing of such critical prices could by no means be recognized.

Since their incarceration in September 2022, India has supplied the veterans with the most effective authorized help. According to relations, three out of six prices caught, resulting in the sentence. There are simply two ranges left remaining within the authorized rung of Qatar (the Court of Appeals and Court of Cassation). The Emir has the ability to pardon or supply clemency and is thought to have exercised this benevolence. Qatar doesn’t have an extended historical past of executing individuals, however the geopolitical backdrop towards which this saga unfolds holds many uncertainties. Most of the eight veterans are of their late fifties and sixties. Even if the loss of life sentence is commuted to life (25 years), they face the prospect of spending the remainder of their lives behind bars.

Impact on diplomatic ties

The horrible flip of occasions couldn’t have come at a extra inopportune juncture for the veterans and their households. Dahra Global Technologies in Qatar is not a going concern, which implies the personnel and their households have solely the Indian authorities to show to. India’s nuanced place on the continued Israel-Hamas warfare and assist to the Palestinian trigger shall be put to the take a look at towards Qatar’s rising function in figuring out a rapprochement between the Arab world and Israel, at the same time as world leaders weigh their choices. India’s relationship with Qatar will head south if this diplomatic row shouldn’t be settled on mutually acceptable phrases.

Despite the most effective authorized and diplomatic help prolonged by India, the court docket has pronounced its judgment. Qatar is a pleasant international nation and there may be an current bilateral settlement to expatriate convicted residents. However, Article 4 of the settlement excludes the loss of life penalty. India’s standing within the Global South, simply as that of Qatar’s within the GCC, owes a lot to the visionary leaders of each international locations. There is way to lose if this case festers. It shall be far worse if the sentence is executed or the area left behind by Dahra Global is occupied by radical parts inimical to each international locations.

I’ve hope that the Indian political management will rise to the problem and attraction to the Emir’s benevolence to think about a whole and unconditional pardon for all eight naval veterans. This shall be in the most effective curiosity of each international locations. Unprecedented conditions name for unprecedented management. The answer to seemingly advanced issues is commonly just some cellphone calls away.

Ok.P. Sanjeev Kumar is a retired Indian Navy take a look at pilot. The views expressed are private