INDIA QUIETLY WORKS TOWARDS RELEASE OF EX-NAVY OFFICERS IN QATAR

India has formally appealed against the death sentences handed to eight former Indian Navy personnel by a court in Qatar.

- T. BRAJESH

All efforts are afoot to put together "a water-tight legal counter" to ensure that all the ex-Navy personnel are released. But New Delhi is, at the same time, equally focused on leveraging its strong ties with Qatar and other countries including Italy, the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iran, UAE, etc., to reach a diplomatic solution.

Soon after filing the appeal, Indian authorities, including diplomats, have held three rounds of meetings with their Qatari counterparts in Doha on this matter, The Sunday Guardian has learnt from diplomatic sources. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is discussing this matter at every bilateral meeting with his counterparts from different countries and other global leaders in a bid to exert all-round and sustained diplomatic pressure on Qatar. "In fact, Jaishankar has told the families of the eight Indians who have been given the death sentence in Qatar that the Indian government gives the highest importance to the case. So, he is relentlessly working on this," a source said. Jaishankar is likely to meet the families again soon.