New Delhi: With a court in Qatar sentencing eight former Indian Navy officers to death allegedly on espionage charges, New Delhi is faced with a fresh diplomatic challenge, this time in its extended neighbourhood to the west. This is the latest in a series of new diplomatic challenges India is being confronted with after having successfully hosted the G20 Summit just last month.
Soon after the summit, a huge diplomatic row erupted between India and Canada after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that New Delhi had a hand in the killing of his country’s citizens, a wanted Khalistani terrorist. Soon thereafter, New Delhi-backed Armenia lost the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the war against Azerbaijan. The third diplomatic challenge cropped up in India’s immediate neighbourhood when the pro-China opposition candidate won the Maldives presidential election defeating the pro-India incumbent.
Soon after the Court of First Instance in Qatar passed the judgement against the eight former Indian Navy officers on Thursday, India expressed shock and said that it was “awaiting the detailed judgement”. “We attach high importance to this case, and have been following it closely,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement. “We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities.”
All the eight convicted former Indian Navy officers were employees of Al Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private firm owned by an ex-Oman Air Force officer that provided training and other services to Qatar’s armed forces and security agencies. They were reportedly involved in a sensitive endeavour concerning Italian technology-based midget submarines with stealth characteristics.
However, what is interesting is that while the Indian employees were charged and convicted, the Omani owner of the company has been allowed to go scot-free. “The court’s judgement is very surprising,” R Dayakar, former Indian Ambassador to Iraq and Jordan, who also served in the West Asia desk of the Ministry of External Affairs and in the Indian Embassy in Qatar, told ETV Bharat. “What is odd is that, while the Indian employees were convicted, no charges were framed against the Omani owner of the company and he was allowed to return to his country.”
This new development has come as a surprise because the bilateral relationship between India and Qatar has largely been characterised by cooperation and shared interests. Then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Qatar in 2008 marked a significant turning point, followed by reciprocal visits from the Emir of Qatar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Qatar plays an important role in India’s energy security, being a dependable source of natural gas. The bilateral trade between India and Qatar, valued at $15 billion, primarily involves LNG and LPG exports from Qatar to India. Defence cooperation is a key component of India-Qatar ties, with the India-Qatar Defence Cooperation Agreement serving as a pivotal milestone. This apart, Indians constitute the largest expatriate community in Qatar, with approximately 800,000 individuals working and living there. The flow of remittances from Qatar and the safety of Indian citizens make Qatar vital for India’s interests. Several Indian companies, including Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, Wipro, MahindraTech and Larsen & Toubro operate in Qatar.
Also read: Who are these eight former Indian Navy officers whom Qatar court sentenced to death for espionage
However, the relationship between India and Qatar has not been without hiccups. A significant challenge in the India-Qatar relationship is related to the treatment and conditions of the Indian expatriate workforce in Qatar. While Qatar has made progress in labour reform, there have been concerns about the welfare of Indian migrant workers, including issues related to working conditions, wages, and access to legal protection. India has often raised concerns about the rights and well-being of its citizens working in Qatar, leading to diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
The 2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis complicated India’s relations with other Gulf Arab countries. The Saudi Arabia-led bloc’s closure of sea, land and air borders with Qatar appeared to pose two challenges for Delhi: How to maintain trade relations with Qatar; and how to ensure the evacuation from Qatar of the massive number of Indian migrant workers should the situation further deteriorate. An additional concern at the time was that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) might turn the boycott of Qatar into a global issue, which, at least theoretically, could have entailed their demanding that India suspend ties with Qatar indefinitely or risk retaliation. In the end, though, the perceived ill effects never materialised. After New Delhi initially placed a hold on export shipments to Qatar, normal trade flows between the two countries resumed.
Then, in June 2022, a controversy involving derogatory remarks about the Prophet on a TV show led to tension between India and Qatar. Qatar demanded a public apology. India addressed the issue and the individual concerned was swiftly expelled from the political party she was affiliated to.
Later, the same year, India raised the issue of Indian fugitive and Islamist Zakir Naik travelling to Qatar from his refuge in Malaysia for the FIFA World Cup. A radical Muslim, Naik has been wanted by Indian authorities since 2016 for alleged money laundering and inciting extremism through hate speeches. However, Qatar informed India through diplomatic channels that no official invitation was extended to Naik to attend the November 20, 2022, opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup In Doha.
Following the latest incident of the former Indian Navy officers being sentenced to death, the Ministry of External Affairs has said that it is in touch with the family members and the legal team, and “we are exploring all legal options”. “The case is still at the appeal stage,” Dayakar said. “Hopefully, it will be resolved at the political and diplomatic level.”
