The Navy veterans freed by Qatar after over a 12 months in an alleged spying case have thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the federal government for securing their launch. Seven of the eight veterans, who’re again within the nation, walked out of the Delhi airport chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai‘.
#WATCH | Delhi: One of many Navy veterans who returned from Qatar says, “We’re very blissful that we’re again in India, safely. Positively, we wish to thank PM Modi, as this was solely potential due to his private intervention…” pic.twitter.com/iICC1p7YZr
— ANI (@ANI) February 12, 2024
“We’re very blissful that we’re again in India, safely. Positively, we wish to thank PM Modi as this was solely potential due to his private intervention,” stated one among them.
#WATCH | Delhi: One of many Navy veterans who returned from Qatar says, “It would not have been potential for us to face right here with out the intervention of PM Modi. And it additionally occurred as a result of steady efforts of the Authorities of India.” pic.twitter.com/bcwEWvWIDK
— ANI (@ANI) February 12, 2024
“It would not have been potential for us to face right here with out the intervention of PM Modi. And it additionally occurred as a result of steady efforts of the Authorities of India,” stated one other veteran.
One other veteran stated they needed to await 18 months to return to India.
#WATCH | Delhi: One of many Navy veterans who returned from Qatar says, “We waited virtually for 18 months to be again in India. We’re extraordinarily grateful to the PM. It would not have been potential with out his private intervention and his equation with Qatar. We’re grateful to the… pic.twitter.com/5DiBC0yZPd
— ANI (@ANI) February 12, 2024
“We waited virtually for 18 months to be again in India. We’re extraordinarily grateful to the PM. It would not have been potential with out his private intervention and his equation with Qatar. We’re grateful to the Authorities of India from the underside of our hearts for each effort that has been made and this present day will not have been potential with out these efforts,” he stated.
The federal government introduced their launch early this morning, thanking the Amir of Qatar for enabling their homecoming.
Learn | 8 Jailed Indian Navy Veterans Launched By Qatar: A Timeline Of The Case
“The Authorities of India welcomes the discharge of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra World firm who had been detained in Qatar. Seven out of the eight of them have returned to India. We recognize the choice by the Amir of the State of Qatar to allow the discharge and home-coming of those nationals,” the overseas ministry stated.
The veterans didn’t have prior info of their launch and had been taken away by embassy officers shortly after they had been freed, sources instructed NDTV. They boarded an IndiGo flight yesterday and returned after 2 am, they added.
Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal, and Sailor Ragesh had been arrested in August 2022.
They had been employed by a non-public agency, Dahra World, and had been in Qatar to help with the introduction of Italian U212 stealth submarines into the Qatari Emiri Naval Drive of their private roles.
A Qatari court docket sentenced them to dying on October 26, 2023. India had stated it was “deeply shocked” by the decision and that it was exploring all authorized choices.
The capital punishment was commuted in December, weeks after PM Modi met Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai.