WORKING TOWARDS EARLY RELEASE OF EX-NAVAL MEN HELD IN QATAR, SAYS MEA

India is pursuing the issue of eight former Indian Navy personnel’s detention in Qatar on unspecified charges to ensure their early release, the external affairs ministry said on Thursday.

All the eight men were working for Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private firm owned by an Oman Air Force officer that provides training and other services to Qatar’s armed forces and security agencies. They were detained on August 30 and people familiar with the matter said Qatari authorities had not yet formally informed the Indian side of the charges against them.

“This issue is something that we have been pursuing. The embassy in Doha has been regularly raising the issue with Qatari authorities,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.