'Will Make All Efforts': Jaishankar to Kin of Ex-Navy Men on Death Row in Qatar

Jaishankar said that the "government attaches the highest importance to the case."

Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar

(Photo Courtesy: X/@DrSJaishankar)

Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday, 30 October, said that he met with the families of the eight Indian Navy veterans who have been sentenced to death in Qatar.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he said that the "government attaches the highest importance to the case."

"Fully share the concerns and pain of the families. Underlined that [the] government will continue to make all efforts to secure their release. Will coordinate closely with the families in that regard," Jaishankar tweeted.

A Qatari court on Thursday, 26 October, awarded death penalty to eight former Indian Navy personnel who had been detained in the country for over a year.

The Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had responded by saying that it was "deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and is awaiting the detailed judgment."

"We are in touch with the family members...We attach high importance to this case, and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance," the MEA had said in a statement.

The eight men, including former decorated officers of the Indian Navy, were working for Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private firm that provided training and related services to Qatar’s armed forces, Hindustan Times reported.

The details of the case have not been revealed due to the "confidential nature of proceedings of the case," MEA stated.