India has quietly launched efforts to find a resolution to the issue of the eight former Indian Navy personnel given the death sentence by a Qatari court, though authorities in both countries remained tight-lipped on the matter on Friday, October 27.
The authorities in Qatar maintained a complete silence on the case, which found no mention in the country’s media. People familiar with the matter said a copy of the verdict from Qatar’s Court of First Instance was yet to be formally received by the Indian side.
There was also no further comment from the Indian side after the external affairs ministry issued a statement on Thursday expressing deep shock at the Qatari court’s verdict and pledging to look at all legal options.
The people said quiet efforts had been launched through diplomatic and official channels to find a resolution to the matter. Among the possibilities being look at is filing an appeal against the verdict or using an agreement signed by India and Qatar in 2015 for the transfer of convicted prisoners so that they can complete their sentence in their home country. The agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons was ratified by the Qatari side the same year, and it was one of six pacts signed during a state visit to India by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar. There is also the possibility of approaching the International Court of Justice, as was done in the case of former naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was detained by Pakistani authorities in 2016 and subsequently sentenced to death by a military court on charges of alleged espionage.