Breakthrough Moment
It is to New Delhi’s credit that it has risen to the challenge and the seven former officers and one seaman are to be reunited with their families at home. That this was achieved with quiet, patient diplomacy, supervised by the Prime Minister, despite the national and international media spotlight on the prisoners, makes it all the more impressive. The fact is that deep engagement with the monarchies of West Asia requires a different approach. The small ruling class in these countries is nearly all-powerful and runs international engagements directly — personal rapport of the sort PM Modi has with them can tip the scales.
The case against the Navy veterans was sensitive, and, to a large degree, opaque. All eight were employees of a Doha-based private company, Dahra Global, that provided training and support to Qatari armed forces. They were arrested in August 2022. While the charges against the Indian citizens were not made public, reports, including in the Financial Times, claimed that they were accused of spying for Israel. After the initial award of the death penalty, an appellate court commuted their sentences to prison terms in December. Throughout, New Delhi was careful in its tone and words. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Parliament that the issue was “extremely sensitive” and his ministry did not jump the gun while assuring the families of the accused consular and legal support.
The episode — and, of course, its resolution — shows how deep and broad bilateral ties have become. There was a time when New Delhi viewed the Middle East only through the prism of Pakistan and to a lesser extent, Israel-Palestine. The strengthening of bilateral ties with willing partners in the Gulf has opened up the region for trade and provided more options for the country’s energy basket: Earlier this month, a multi-billion dollar deal between the two countries has done much to secure the import of LNG from Qatar. In addition, with over 8 lakh Indian workers in the country, there is much that ties the two countries together. Given the fraught geopolitics of the region, especially in the light of the Israel-Hamas conflict growing wider, Delhi has done well to stay above the fray. However, the relationship with Qatar, like most others, has some points of contention. These include the anti-India propaganda from Qatar-based media outlets and support for religious radicals in India. Given the breakthrough moment in ties at the current moment, PM Modi could begin to address these issues when he meets Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani later this week.
The Indian Express