INFORMATION ON INDIANS DETAINED IN QATAR SCARCE

'Working in Qatar is akin to working in a black site operated by the Central Intelligence Agency'.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

On Friday, the eight Indian navy veterans completed their seven months in detention of the Qatar government. While Indian officials in Qatar and Delhi maintain that the eight will be back to India after the "due legal process" in the case is completed, this recent incident has not gone down well with members of other countries, working in Qatar, especially those who work in private corporations.

The secrecy that the Qatar government has exercised in this entire saga, a tenure that has been characterized by neither the family members of the captive Indians, nor the Indian embassy being formally informed of the reasons for which the Qatar intelligence agency decided to arrest them on the night of 30 August, has led to concern among MNCs on how "safe" it was to work in Qatar, which despite marketing itself as a rival to the neighbouring United Arab Emirates (UAE) in order to attract investment, still acts like a "feudal entity" when it comes to conducting global relations and handling bilateral legal issues.

According to a senior employee with a MNC that is into Information Technology and Consulting and is counted among the top three in its field, there was a lot of worry among their employees as far as Qatar is concerned, with many of its present employees seeking to move out and requesting new postings.