Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Qatar’s Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai on Friday. They discussed bilateral partnerships and the well-being of the Indian community in the oil-rich country. The meeting took place against the backdrop of eight former Indian Navy personnel being sentenced to death on October 26 by a court in Qatar. The Indian government has reportedly filed an appeal against the sentence.

“On the sidelines of the COP28 Summit in Dubai yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet HH Sheikh @TamimBinHamad, the Amir of Qatar. We had a good conversation on the potential of bilateral partnerships and the well-being of the Indian community in Qatar,” Modi posted on X on Saturday.

“The Indian nationals, who worked with the private company Al Dahra, were arrested in August last year in an alleged case of espionage. Neither the Qatari authorities nor New Delhi made the charges against the Indian nationals public. India described the ruling by the Qatari court as ‘deeply’ shocking and vowed to explore all legal options in the case.

“Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said here on Friday that the government is making all efforts to bring back the eight former Indian Navy personnel. ‘We are working closely to ensure that their interests are looked after,’ Admiral Kumar said at a media briefing. ‘The government of India is putting all-out efforts to ensure they are brought back,’ he said.

The Indian nationals were given the death sentence by Qatar’s Court of First Instance. India described the ruling as ‘deeply’ shocking and vowed to explore all legal options in the case.

An appeal has already been filed against the death sentence, and a higher court in Qatar has admitted the plea. The appeal has been filed by the legal team of the detained Indian nationals.

“The Indian nationals, who worked with the private company Al Dahra, were arrested in August last year in an alleged case of espionage. Neither the Qatari authorities nor New Delhi made the charges against the Indian nationals public.

“In its reaction to the ruling by the Qatari court, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) last month said it is attaching ‘high importance’ to this case and is exploring all legal options. The charges were filed against the eight Indian navy veterans on March 25, and they were tried under Qatari law. All the former Navy officers had ‘unblemished stints’ of up to 20 years in the Indian Navy and had held important positions, including that of instructors in the force, former military officials had said.”