BELEAGUERED IN QATAR

India had already been walking a difficult tight-rope on West Asian politics, roiled by the conflict in Gaza, when Qatar served a shocker on it on October 26: it awarded the death sentence to eight former Indian navy personnel on charges of spying for Israel. 

- Pradip R. Sagar

The decision, to which New Delhi responded with dismay and by cranking into motion the usual diplomatic machinery of damage limitation, marked a surprisingly sharp low turn in bilateral ties that are otherwise known to be robust. The external affairs ministry, which said it was "deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty", has vowed to mount a full-blown legal challenge against it, while working to secure the release of the eight ex-navymen. Employed with the private firm Al Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, they were overseeing the induction of stealth submarines for the Qatari navy. They have been under detention in separate locations in Doha since August 2022.