Qatar commutes ex-Naval officers' death sentence, India’s blooming ties with Arab nations hailed

The grounds for condemning the eight to death, nor the judgment commuting their sentences have so far been put in the public domain.

The judicial system in the Gulf Arab countries is far from transparent and there has always seemed a sense of arbitrariness. These are countries with low level of crime because of the harsh law and order machinery. One of the necessary faults it carries was lack of transparency. It could be due to lack of knowledge, Arabic, which creates a barrier and a distance with the dispenser of justice.

The commuting of the death sentence of eight former Indian naval personnel on charges of espionage for Israel, on Friday brought cheer to the families of the eight. The men were working for a private defence services provider to the Qatari armed forces.

That Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad in Dubai on the side-lines of the climate summit earlier this month has had its impact. The issue of officers must have come up between the two leaders even as the Ministry of External Affairs took up the issue. It is an indirect indication that India’s standing has grown in the region. The Indian side moved quickly and quietly. There was no claim from the government that it would prevail.

India’s Improved Ties With Arab Nations

The general perception that India’s right-wing majoritarian Modi government has alienated Arab Muslim governments in the Gulf has been proved wrong by Prime Minister Modi’s bonding with some of the Arab leaders. The Arab leaders do not want to miss the bus to India as it were. They believe in the potential of India’s economic growth and they wish to benefit from it.

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The grounds for condemning the eight to death, nor the judgment commuting their sentences have so far been put in the public domain. A Qatari government statement did not explain. It said that the sentence has been commuted, and that details cannot be given out because of the sensitivity of the matter. But the Arab governments are open to requests from friendly sources to show lenience. The Indian government played its cards well. It maintained a low profile and did the behind-the-doors background work of negotiation and persuasion, and without giving the impression of exerting pressure.

This has been a high-profile case and it drew much public attention and prompt response from the Indian government. There are many Indians who are in the jails of the Gulf Arab countries, and they include many innocents. It would not be bad idea that there is a legal section in the embassies and in the consulates to help Indian citizens in these countries. There is a pressing need for a mechanism to offer legal help.

Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr is a New Delhi-based journalist. Views are personal, and do not represent the stance of this publication.