The curious case of the Qatar Eight ended as suddenly as it began. On Sunday morning, the eight Indian Navy veterans, who were jailed in the emirate since October 2022 on unclear espionage charges were asked to pack their belongings. By 2 am on Monday, seven of them—captains Navtej Singh Gill and Saurabh Vasisht, commanders Birendra Verma, Amit Nagpal, Sugunakar Pakala and Sanjeev Gupta, and sailor Ragesh—were back on Indian soil. The eighth, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, has been released and is being processed in Doha. None of the Qatar Eight or their families had been told of the imminence of their release.
The twists in the case could hardly be more dramatic. It was only three and a half months ago that the eight men were handed the death sentence by Qatar’s Court of First Instance. The Indian mission swung purposefully into action, hiring a former attorney general of Qatar to fight the case. But things really got going in favour of the Indians after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the emirate’s ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, during the Dubai COP summit in early December. The death sentences were commuted near the end of December. An appeal to Qatar’s highest court was discussed in early January; and then, the discharge. The release comes days after a consequential deal—India’s Petronet signed its biggest contract to buy 7.5 million metric tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year from QatarEnergy; the new deal extends by two decades an existing one that runs till 2028.
This is nothing short of a diplomatic coup engineered at the highest levels of government. The eight families are indeed thankful. The press played its part, too. After TNIE broke the story, Indian media kept the issue in the spotlight. Reporters took care to not ratchet up the rhetoric to allow for diplomacy to proceed unhindered by public opinion. While all this is reason for celebration, there is cause for a pause too. We need clearer rules for engagement abroad, especially when Indian servicemen are involved. The story of the Qatar Eight will be truly over when the eighth Navy man is back. Modi is visiting Doha on February 14; we hope the final chapter will be closed soon.
