8 naval veterans facing death sentence in Qatar likely to be released soon

It is now a question of time before the eight Indian Naval veterans who were facing death sentence on undisclosed charges will be free After Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, issued an order pardoning a number of prisoners four days ahead of Qatar’s National Day on December 18, according to media reports

India is awaiting formal confirmation on whether the eight Indian naval veterans are part of the list. The wives of the eight veterans are in Doha at present, hoping to hear the news in person and bring back their husbands.

"Of late there has been some optimism amongst the family members of the eight naval veterans. The last meeting they had with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on December 10th had renewed their expectation of an early repatriation.

The naval veterans have been allowed a fourth consular access, It is a matter of time before they head back home. If one goes by the legal process, the next date for hearing has been fixed for December 28.

External affairs minister dr Jaishankar  extended wishes to the Emir of Qatar for their National Day.

"We convey our National Day greetings to the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and the government and people of Qatar," Dr Jaishankar said.

The eight naval veterans, who have been jailed since August 30th, 2022, are Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal and Sailor Ragesh.