In a major development on Monday, Qatar released the eight Indian nationals who were arrested in August 2022 and had been given death sentences last October. This had been a case of high tensions in India-Qatar relations as both countries tried to figure a way out of the crisis. The charges against the men were espionage and Qatar also found itself in a diplomatic dilemma because of the seriousness of the charges.

In an early morning statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced the news and also that seven of the eight men have already returned to India. “We appreciate the decision by the Amir of the State of Qatar to enable the release and home-coming of these nationals,” said the MEA statement. The men have since arrived in India and hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal intervention for securing their release.

For India, this is nothing short of a major diplomatic win. In the last few months, hectic negotiations have taken place behind closed doors to secure the release of the Indian nationals. This announcement has come just a day before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Feb 13 and 14. It is of course yet another indication of how far India’s relations with the major countries of the Gulf have progressed.

Modi had met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani during the COP28 summit in Dubai last year. It is understood that the meeting provided an opportunity for both sides to discuss many matters of bilateral interest and that the keenness shown at the highest political levels have resulted in this breakthrough today. There is a large Indian community, numbering 700,000 that works and lives in Qatar and both countries share good ties.

The Indian government has maintained that the eight men were employees of a private company called Al Dahra, but reports have suggested that they were former personnel of the Indian Navy. The case saw a major development last year when the court in Qatar commuted the death sentence of the Indian nationals after intervention by the Indian government. The sentence was reduced to jail terms, which brought a sense of relief to the families of the incarcerated Indians.

This was a case that made international headlines and was being keenly watched as it would have been a test of the strength of India-Qatar relations and also a test of how mature Indian diplomacy is. Today, it’s a win-win for India on both counts. – The writer is Executive Editor of Nrifocus.com