The government of Qatar has released eight Indian Navy veterans who were serving jail terms in the country, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday.
“The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained in Qatar. Seven out of the eight of them have returned to India,” the MEA said.
The Indian statement appreciated the decision by Qatir's Emir to "enable the release and home-coming of these nationals".
The ex-Indian veterans were arrested by Qatar's top intelligence agency, the State Security Bureau, in August 2022 and sentenced to death last year on charges that have not been made public by either government.
New Delhi provided consular and legal assistance to the Indian citizens throughout their detention.
In December, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai.
The Indian prime minister said he discussed "the welfare of the Indian community in Qatar" during the meeting.
Later in December, an appeals court in Qatar commuted the death sentences of the imprisoned Indian nationals.
On their return to New Delhi on Monday morning, one of the Indian citizens pardoned expressed his gratitude to the Indian leadership, saying that the pardon wouldn't have been possible without the "intervention" of Prime Minister Modi.