Subhechcha Ganguly 
PM Modi achieved a significant diplomatic win when he leveraged his personal connection to the Emir of Qatar to secure the release of Indian Navy men detained in Doha.The eight former Indian Navy officers were freed from captivity thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal relationship with the Emir of Qatar and the diplomatic manoeuvres of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval behind closed doors.PM Modi advised NSA Doval to lead the sensitive discussions for the release of ex-Navy soldiers, while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar handled the diplomatic front. NSA Doval was confident that the Qatari leadership would comprehend India’s perspective, therefore he made several quiet trips to Doha.
The veterans were given death sentences by a Qatari court in October, a decision that “shocked” the Indian government. The allegations that the former Navy officers were facing were not made public by the Qatari government, while rumours suggested that they were charged with espionage. The court lowered their sentences in December, however at the time no information was made public.Meeting with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, on the fringes of the COP28 conference in Dubai, PM Modi spoke with him on bilateral ties and the “well-being of the Indian community” residing in Qatar.Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesman for the ministry of external affairs, stated last month that this time frame has chronological relevance.
The confidential court decree that details the commuting of the death sentences to imprisonment terms is in the possession of the legal team representing the MEA. This action was made public in a press release subsequent to the court of appeals’ decision on December 28.”We notified you via a press release that the death penalty—which was previously the only option available—has been replaced with prison terms. With the help of that court order, which our legal team now has, I can certify that each of them was given a sentence of varying lengths and that the death penalty was removed “Jaiswal had previously stated.
