Naval personnel have 9 days to avoid death penalty

On October 26, a Qatari court sentenced 8 ex-Indian marines to death. According to Qatari laws, the complainants have 15 days to file an appeal against the court order, of which 6 days have already passed. That means he has only 9 days left to avoid the death penalty. According to media reports, serious charges like espionage have been brought against them.

On October 30, the families of eight ex-naval soldiers met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. It was only after the death sentence was announced that the families of the sailors got a chance to meet the External Affairs Minister and present their views. Before this, the family members did not get any response. The families of the sailors had also approached senior BJP officials. Still nothing could be achieved.

Answer: In the meeting, Jaishankar assured that the Government of India is doing everything possible to bring back the marines safely. According to sources, this meeting lasted for about one and a half hours. Besides Foreign Minister Jaishankar, Minister of State for External Affairs, Foreign Secretary and Ambassador of India to Qatar, around 20 members of all the families were present.

Wives and women members of the Indian Navy wept before the External Affairs Minister. Some members of the family are also said to be angry with the government’s stance on the whole matter. They believe that sailors who are the glory of the country have been locked up in foreign jails for 14 months. They are being physically and mentally tortured.

According to the officials of the Ministry of External Affairs, the Government of India is expected to get positive results regarding the whole matter within a month. Sources who spoke said that the government has not given any information on how it will deal with this challenge.

Question 2: What channels is the government using to save soldiers from death?
Answer: According to sources, India is taking Turkey’s help to persuade Qatar. Turkey has good relations with Qatar’s royal family, so the government has approached it for mediation. The Indian government has also spoken to the US for help. The reason for this is that America has a stronger strategic grip on Qatar.

At the same time, it is also believed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will use his personal relationship with King Tamim bin Hamad-al Thani of Qatar to talk to him if the foreign ministry’s diplomacy fails.

The Indian government has roped in Deepak Mittal, the former ambassador of India to Qatar, to handle the matter. When the eight ex-marines were arrested, Deepak was stationed in Qatar. However, the family members of the ex-marine accused Mittal of handling the matter properly.