Qatar Releases Indian Navy personnel who faced death row

Source: This post Qatar Releases Indian Navy personnel who faced death row has been created based on the article “7 Indians who faced death row in Qatar return home” published in “The Hindu” on 13^th February 2024.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 – International Relations – Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

News: The article discusses the returning of the Indian Navy personnel earlier sentenced to death In Qatar. Qatar Releases Indian Navy personnel who faced death row

Background:

Recently, the eight Indian Navy veterans who had been in Qatari custody since August 30, 2022 were released.

Earlier, the men were given the death penalty by a lower court in Qatar on October 26, 2023. Subsequently, a court of appeals in Doha struck down the death penalty on December 28.

For more on this issue, read here.

What is the significance of this event?

To bring citizens back home while ensuring that the growing economic and strategic ties between India and Qatar are not derailed in the process, is a good achievement of India’s foreign policy.

The episode shows how deep and broad bilateral ties have become.

What does this episode show in terms of India’s foreign policy?

Improving Relations with Gulf Countries: India has moved on from its earlier stance of viewing the Middle East only through the prism of Pakistan or Israel-Palestine. This has resulted in strengthening of India’s bilateral relations in the Gulf.

Energy Cooperation: Qatar is a major supplier of energy to India. The two countries have signed a $78 billion LNG deal that extended an existing agreement on supply of liquified natural gas till 2048.

Indian Diaspora and Remittances: At least 8 lakh Indian workers are employed in the Gulf country which continues to be a major source of foreign remittances to the Indian economy.

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What are the challenges?

1) Points of Contention with Qatar: These include the anti-India propaganda from Qatar-based media outlets and support for religious radicals in India.

2) Prisoners in Gulf Countries: Both the United Arab Emirates and Qatar hold around 3,000 Indian prisoners in their prisons and the prisons in the Gulf region hold more than half of the total Indian prisoners in foreign jails.

According to the author, India’s PM should address these issues when he meets Qatar Emir later this week.

Question for practice:

What does the episode of the returning of the Indian Navy personnel from Qatar show in terms of India’s foreign policy? What are the remaining challenges?