Victory of diplomatic efforts of Modi govt: BJP on Qatar court commuting death sentence of 8 Indians

New Delhi: The commutation of death sentence of eight former Indian Navy personnel by a court in Qatar is a victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy and diplomatic efforts under it, the BJP said on Thursday.

This development has once again made it clear that the entire world recognises the strength of India's foreign policy under the leadership of Modi, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said in a post on X.

The BJP's reaction came after an appellate court in Qatar commuted the death sentence of the eight, arrested in an alleged case of espionage in August 2022.

"Eight former Indian Navy personnel getting relief from the death sentence in Qatar is a victory of the diplomatic efforts of the country's celebrated Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji's foreign policy," Chugh said.

The appellate court's verdict was not just seen as a huge relief to the eight former Indian Navy personnel but also a big diplomatic win for India as it comes weeks after Prime Minister Modi's meeting with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 Summit in Dubai.

After the meeting on December 1, Modi said they discussed the well-being of the Indian community in Qatar.

The Indian nationals, who were working with Doha-based Al Dahra Global Technologies, were taken into custody in August 2022. While the charges against them were not made public by Qatari authorities, they were sentenced to death by Qatar's Court of First Instance in October this year.

The private firm provided training and other services to Qatar's armed forces and security agencies.

India had moved the Court of Appeal in Qatar against the death sentence last month.