Eight retired Indian navy officers, imprisoned in Qatar since 2022 on charges of spying, were released earlier on February 11. Initially sentenced to death for their alleged activities at Al Dahra, a consulting firm advising the Qatari government on submarines, their sentences were commuted to prison terms last year after India intervened. Following appeals and legal exploration, Qatar has now granted their release, allowing them to return home.

Their case made headlines in late October 2023 when a Qatari court sentenced them to death. These men, identified as Captains Navtej Singh Gill, Saurabh Vasisht, Birendra Kumar Verma, and Commanders Purnendu Tiwari, Sugunakar Pakala, Sanjeev Gupta, Amit Nagpal, and Sailor Ragesh, were employed by Al Dahra, a private farm which had been advising the Qatari government on the acquisition of Italian submarines for the Qatari navy.

Initial reports observed that the Indian government was in the dark about the precise reasons for their arrest. The exact charges leading to their death sentence were shrouded in mystery. Ten individuals, including eight former naval personnel, were detained in Qatar for undisclosed reasons on August 30, 2022. They were subjected to harsh conditions, and kept in isolated confinement. Diplomatic efforts began on October 1st, with the Indian Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission meeting with the detained. Two days later, consular access was granted. However, an attempt by Khamis al-Ajmi, CEO of Dahra Global, to secure the release of his employees backfired – he was also arrested and held in solitary confinement for two months before being released on bail.

Throughout the spring and summer of 2023, the case of the eight Indian men detained in Qatar unfolded rapidly. By March 1st, all their bail pleas were denied. Charges were filed on March 25th, followed by the start of their trial under Qatari law on March 29th. May 30th saw the closure of DahraGlobal, their former employer, with all employees, mainly Indians, returning home. A small victory came on August 4th when the men were moved from solitary confinement to a communal jail ward with colleagues, sharing cells in pairs. However, on October 26th, the court delivered a shocking verdict, sentencing all eight men to death.

The Indian government, through its Ministry of External Affairs, actively followed the case of the arrested sailors in Qatar. They provided all the support they could to the sailors, including raising the issue at various diplomatic and political levels. Both India and Qatar continued to be involved in discussions. However, India stressed that they could not possibly interfere with Qatar’s legal system, just like other countries would not be able to intervene in India’s judicial processes if a foreign national was on trial. This approach mirrored India’s stance in the Enrica Lexie case, where two Indian fishermen were tragically killed, allegedly by Italian marines in Qatari waters. In both situations, India has emphasized respecting the legal procedures of the respective countries while advocating for its citizens’ well-being.

The Indian government fought hard for the release of the former Navy personnel in Qatar, using multiple legal arguments. They cited international laws, including the Maritime Zones Act of 1976, the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982. Additionally, the families of the Navy personnel directly appealed to the Emir of Qatar for clemency, hoping to benefit from his tradition of granting pardons during religious holidays like Ramadan and Eid. This two-pronged approach, legal and personal, aimed to secure the release of the detained individuals.

Former diplomat Vivek Katju, writing in the Indian Express, described the the predicament as a major challenge for the Modi government and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar. Qatar’s unprecedented death sentence to eight retired Indian Navy personnel (seven officers and one sailor) on espionage charges stood apart apart from past cases. While Indians have earlier faced capital punishment abroad for drug or murder offenses, this scenario with a friendly nation like Qatar and a group of esteemed individuals sets a unique and pressing challenge.

Unlike tensions with Pakistan, where convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav faces execution, India shares extensive ties with Qatar. The case, involving not just one person but a group of respected ex-military personnel, demanded strong diplomatic action. Kaju observed that the nation expected the government, particularly Minister Jaishankar, to secure not only the lifting of death sentences but also the swift and safe return of the convicted personnel.

Katju also observed that ultimately, the resolution of such delicate issues involved both legal verdicts and state relations. India-Qatar ties are significant, especially with many Indians living there. However, their differing views on West Asia created complexities. India traditionally held direct bilateral ties with all West Asian countries, avoiding internal conflicts. This approach, even amidst ties with Israel, diverged from earlier alignments with progressive Arab states. However, India’s I2U2 membership and perceived weakening support for the Palestinian cause indicate a shift from direct bilateral policies. This might have increased the political distance between Qatar and India. Qatar, known for its conservatism and regional political involvement, might view these changes with reservations, Katju conjectured.

India was walking a tightrope with Qatar, balancing its need to secure imprisoned Indian citizens with maintaining good relations with a key trade partner and respecting local laws. Historically, India and Qatar have built strong ties through high-level visits and robust economic partnerships. Further complicating things was Qatar’s multifaceted role in the region. While hosting US military bases and mediating conflicts, it also maintains ties with Iran and supports groups like the Taliban and Muslim Brotherhood. Despite these complexities, Qatar’s strategic value for the West could not be ignored, exemplified by its recent role in securing American hostages. Therefore, India’s approach had to be multifaceted as well. Using all diplomatic channels to secure its citizens was crucial, but equal importance had to be given to respecting Qatar’s laws and treading carefully to avoid jeopardizing the wider relationship.

A significant development occurred on December 3 when the Indian ambassador in Doha was finally granted access to the detained personnel for the first time. Notably, this access came just two days after Prime Minister Modi met with Qatar’s Emir during the COP28 summit in Dubai. During their meeting, the leaders discussed various matters, including the “well-being of the Indian community” in Qatar. This suggests that Prime Minister Modi’s intervention likely played a role in securing consular access and potentially influencing the situation surrounding the detained personnel.

The Indian government had meanwhile appealed their death sentence in Qatar in early November. This appeal, filed before a Qatari appellate court, was accepted in late November. Finally, on December 28, death sentences were commuted against all the eight accused. The appellate court’s decision came after PM Modi’s meeting with the Qatari Emir, where the welfare of the Indian community was discussed.

The appellate court commuted their sentences to imprisonment ranging from 3 to 25 years. One officer received the harshest sentence of 25 years, while the lone sailor got the most lenient term of 3 years. Notably, the officer holding the highest position, the Managing Director of DahraGlobal, received the longest sentence, while the sailor, likely holding a lower rank, received the shortest. This suggests that the sentences may have been influenced by the individuals’ roles and responsibilities within the company.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), a leading Sikh organization, praised the Indian government for its diplomatic efforts that resulted in the commutation of a death sentence for eight former Indian Navy personnel in Qatar. Applauding both the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they called it a “success of Indian diplomatic channels” and a positive step towards saving the lives of the officers.

While the commutation of the death sentence marked a small victory for India in the year-long case, it did not guarantee their freedom. Even as families and colleagues expressed relief, they remained cautious. The final hurdle lay with the highest court’s judgement, which could take another three months before even allowing a plea for pardon from the Emir. So, while the sentence reduction brought hope, the ultimate resolution was in suspension. The legal team, which now received a copy of the ruling, was granted 60 days to appeal to the Court of Cassation, the highest court in Qatar.

Applauding the Indian government, analysts highlighted the achievement’s significance, given the quiet and patient diplomatic approach employed by the government, even under intense media scrutiny. They also foregrounded the importance of Prime Minister Modi’s personal touch in dealing with West Asian monarchies, suggesting building strong personal rapport with these leaders can be a game-changer in such diplomatic endeavours. The event also highlights the growing depth and breadth of India’s relationship with Qatar. While India traditionally focused on Pakistan and the Israel-Palestine conflict in the Middle East, it has now expanded its reach by building partnerships with willing Gulf nations. This has opened up new trade opportunities and diversified India’s energy sources, as evidenced by the recent multi-billion dollar LNG deal with Qatar. The large Indian community in Qatar (over 800,000) further strengthens this bond. Amidst the complex regional politics, particularly the escalating Israel-Hamas conflict, India has wisely maintained neutrality. However, the relationship is not without challenges, including anti-India media content from Qatar and support for religious radicals in India. As Prime Minister Modi prepares to meet with the Qatari Emir, this positive momentum presents an ideal opportunity to address these concerns and further strengthen the bilateral ties. (Al Arabiya Post)

The Sri Lanka Thailand Free Trade Agreement covering trade in goods, investment, custom procedures and intellectual property rights was signed in the capital Colombo in the presence of Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.

Sri Lanka began talks with Thailand on a free trade agreement in 2016.

The countries’ two-way trade was worth about $352 million in 2022, with Thailand’s exports at $292 million and Sri Lanka’s exports at $58 million, according to Sri Lankan government’s data.

Sri Lanka exports include mainly precious stones, apparel, tea and spices while exports from Thailand include smoked rubber sheets, natural rubber, plastic and cement. Sri Lanka’s government expects the trade pact would boost two-way trade up to $1.5 billion.

Thavisin said that the countries agreed to promote investment in areas such as fisheries, food processing, tourism and green energy. Thailand has made over $92 million in direct investment in Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2022.

Giving further boost to tourism, Thavisin said that Thailand’s flag carrier Thai Airways would resume daily flights from Bangkok to Sri Lanka next month.

Sri Lanka has been struggling with an economic crisis since declaring bankruptcy in April 2022 with more than $83 billion in debt, more than half of it to foreign creditors. The crisis led to protests that ousted then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine have largely abated over the past year under Wickremesinghe. But public dissatisfaction has grown over the government’s effort to increase revenue by raising electricity bills and imposing heavy new income taxes on professionals and businesses. The International Monetary Fund approved a four-year bailout program last March to help the South Asian country.

Sri Lanka is hoping to restructure $17 billion of its outstanding debt and has already reached agreements with some of its external creditors.

Calling the agreement “a milestone in the economic partnership” between the two countries, Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka has made “significant progress in economic stabilization” since the crisis erupted.

“As Sri Lanka begins to stabilise its economy and regain international confidence towards recovery and growth, we are looking at Thailand’s support as Sri Lanka undertakes this very important journey of economic transformation and integration with Asia,” Wickremesinghe said.

He also said the free trade agreement was Sri Lanka’s second with an ASEAN country, after Singapore. Sri Lanka is also in talks with neighbouring India and China on trade agreements.

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Zhang Bo – the father of the children – and Ye Chengchen were previously found guilty of killing the two-year-old girl and one-year-old boy in 2020.

Zhang had began an affair with Ye and later divorced his wife and began conspiring to kill his children.

China’s Supreme Court had called the couples’ motives “extremely malicious”, highlighting their “cruel methods”.

The couple were executed in the south-western city of Chongqing on Wednesday. It is not clear how the execution was carried out, though death sentences in China are mostly carried out by lethal injection or a firing squad.

Zhang had begun an “inappropriate” relationship with Ye without informing her of his marital or parental status, but Ye continued to see him after knowing the truth, the court said.

After Zhang divorced his wife in February 2020, Ye still saw the two children as “obstacles for her to get married to Zhang and burdens for their future life together”.

Ye repeatedly threatened Zhang to carry out the murders, which they conspired to stage as an accidental fall, the court heard. On 2 November 2020, Zhang threw his kids out of the window of his apartment from the 15th floor.

News of their execution quickly began trending on Chinese social media site Weibo, drawing hundreds of millions of views.

“They totally deserve it for their crime,” said one Weibo comment liked more than 30 thousand times reads.

“Hope the kids only have peace and joy in their next life” another comment says.

Chen Meilin, the mother of the two children, said on Thursday night that “a nightmare that tortured our family for more than three years has finally disappeared”.

The news came the same day as another high-profile execution of Wu Xieyu – a elite university student that was found guilty of killing his mother by repeatedly striking her with a dumbbell in 2015.

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India sent three guided missile destroyers and reconnaissance aircraft in November when Yemen-based Houthi rebels began targeting ships in solidarity with Hamas, causing disruptions in a key trading route that handles about 12% of global trade.

The deployment highlights the country as a “proactive contributor” to international maritime stability, said Vice Adm. Anil Kumar Chawla, who retired in 2021 as head of India’s southern naval command.

“We are not doing it only out of altruism. Unless you are a maritime power you can never aspire to be a global power,” Chawla said. India, already a regional power, is positioning itself “as a global player today, an upcoming global power,” he said.

India is widely publicizing the deployments, signaling its desire to assume a wider responsibility in maritime security to the world and its growing maritime ambitions to regional rival China.

“It is a message to China that, look, we can deploy such a large force here. This is our backyard. Though we don’t own it, but we are probably the most capable and responsible resident naval power,” Chawla said.

The Indian navy has helped at least four ships, three of which were attacked by Houthi rebels and another that Washington blamed on Iran, a charge denied by Tehran. It has also conducted several anti-piracy missions.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels have targeted dozens of ships in the Red Sea, saying they are seeking a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. The U.S. and its allies have responded with multiple rounds of bombings of rebel positions. India has not joined the U.S.-led force battling the Houthis.

On Jan. 26, the Indian guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam assisted the crew of a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in fighting a fire after it was hit by a missile in the Gulf of Aden. About 10 days earlier, the Visakhapatnam responded to a distress call by the U.S.-owned Genco Picardy merchant vessel following a drone attack in the same waters.

“Maritime security has not been a strong pillar of India’s foreign policy engagements in a way we are beginning to see now,” said Darshana M. Baruah, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “China is a factor in this.”

The rivals are already locked in a military standoff along their disputed border high in the mountains.

China has built up its presence over the years in the Indian Ocean, a key route for its energy supplies. It has the world’s largest navy by number of ships, more than three times the size of the Indian navy. China also operates a powerful fleet of large coast guard ships and what is referred to as its maritime militia consisting of fishing vessels that cooperate with the coast guard in asserting territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Beijing has deepened its engagement in the Indian Ocean mainly through infrastructure deals with India’s neighbors, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and most recently the Maldives.

“The Chinese are looking for more and more naval bases in the extended Indian Ocean,” said Lt. Gen. D. S. Hooda, a former Indian military officer and now a strategic expert. “Seeing that, India doesn’t have any other option but to keep building up its own.”

The Maldives government last week gave clearance to a Chinese research ship to dock in its port. Similar Chinese ships have made port calls in Sri Lanka in 2022 and 2023 amid fears in India that they could be used to surveil the region. India’s concerns led Sri Lanka earlier this year to declare a one-year moratorium on foreign research ships entering its waters.

Experts say the growing competition with China is energizing India to acquire more advanced ships, submarines and aircraft and invest more in technology and infrastructure. The navy’s share of India’s burgeoning defense budget, which reached $72.6 billion last year, has increased to 19% from about 14%. The Indian army has traditionally received the lion’s share of the military budget.

The navy has also built strategic partnerships through participation in joint exercises with other nations in the region and beyond.

Baruah, who directs the Indian Ocean Initiative at the Carnegie Endowment, said there is a “need for Delhi’s strategic thinking to be maritime-oriented, not just as an option for crisis response but as a theater to advance India’s most pressing geopolitical and strategic priorities in the Indo-Pacific.”

India, the U.S., Australia and Japan are members of the Indo-Pacific strategic alliance known as the Quad, which has repeatedly accused China of flexing its military muscles in the South China Sea and aggressively pushing its maritime territorial claims. The navies of the four countries regularly hold drills seen as part of an initiative to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Pacific.

Beijing maintains that its military is purely defensive to protect what it says are its sovereign rights, and calls the Quad an attempt to contain its economic growth and influence.

For Indian naval planners, the South China Sea remains a top concern, with about 60% of India’s cargo passing through shipping lanes in the Beijing-dominated region.

Chawla said India doesn’t have “strength to project power into the South China Sea right now” because of the vast Chinese maritime assets there.

“Frankly, if it comes to a shooting war, India does not really have the capability and Quad does not have the mandate,” he said. “You know, it’s not a NATO-like alliance yet.”

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The 86-year-old monarch, who has repeatedly said he has no plans to abdicate unlike his second cousin Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, has been hospitalized several times in recent months. In December, he was admitted to a hospital with an infection and was treated with intravenous antibiotics. He also was hospitalized last August with a fever.

Harald, who has been seen using crutches in recent years, had an operation to replace a heart valve in October 2020 after being hospitalized with breathing difficulties.

The heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, has stepped in and taken over his father’s duties, the royal household said.

Harald’s duties as Norway’s head of state are ceremonial and he holds no political power. He ascended to the throne following the death of his father, King Olav, in 1991.

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Taiwan’s military was concluding a two-day exercise at sea and in the air on Wednesday to practice defending against such a surprise attack. Journalists observed the training from fast boats that escorted a mine-laying ship.

“Any unilateral irrational action could very easily escalate tensions and sabotage stability in the Taiwan Strait region,” Maj. Gen. Sun Li-fang, a defense ministry spokesperson, told reporters at Tsuoying Naval Base in southern Taiwan.

China claims the self-governing island of 23 million people as its own territory and says it must come under Beijing’s control. The long-running divide is a flashpoint in U.S.-China relations. As relations between the rivals have deteriorated in recent years, fears have grown that America could get pulled into a war if hostilities break out.

Taiwan’s defense ministry, in a daily report, said that seven Chinese warplanes and four naval vessels were detected around the island in the 24-hour period ending at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. It also reported a Chinese balloon off its northern coast.

The annual exercise comes less than three weeks after voters elected Lai Ching-te as their next president, giving a third straight four-year term to the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, which is opposed by China.

The drills are aimed in part at boosting public confidence in the island’s ability to defend itself.

While its military is dwarfed by China’s, Taiwan has been buying high-tech weaponry from the United States, revitalized its domestic arms industry and extended the length of mandatory military service from four months to one year.

In another sign of the tensions across the Taiwan Strait, the island’s government protested Tuesday after China’s aviation authority announced changes to a southbound route for passenger flights that is expected to bring planes closer to Taiwan’s shores.

Taiwan first objected to the flight path when it was opened in 2015, citing air safety and sovereignty concerns, and China agreed to move the route seven miles (11 kilometers) closer to its side. But China’s Civil Aviation Administration said it would cancel the “offset measure” starting Thursday.

China also said that planes would be allowed to join the flight path from two coastal cities across from Taiwan. Previously, planes were allowed to use the flight path to reach those cities, but could not join it from them, which entails flying toward Taiwan.

Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration strongly protested the move, which it said “blatantly contradicts a consensus reached between both sides … in 2015,” according to Taiwanese media.

A Chinese government spokesperson called the changes routine and said they were meant to ease air traffic and ensure flight safety in a crowded flight corridor.

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Khan, who was ousted as PM by his opponents in 2022, is already serving a three-year jail term after being convicted of corruption.

On Tuesday he was sentenced for leaking state secrets, and on Wednesday given 14 years in another corruption case.

Khan has said the numerous cases against him are politically motivated.

It is the second conviction against him in as many days- and the verdicts come a week before Pakistan’s elections.

Khan retains immense popularity across the country but has been barred from standing in the 8 February vote. His party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has also faced campaigning restrictions.

It’s not yet been confirmed but it’s believed that Khan will be able to serve the sentences concurrently.

The former premier and international cricket star has already been detained since last August when he was arrested, serving time mostly at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

His wife Bushra Bibi, who had been out on remand, also surrendered at the jail on Wednesday. She has typically kept a low profile during their period in office. The two married in 2018, months before Khan was elected prime minister.

Both had strongly denied the accusations brought against them by Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog. They were alleged to have sold or kept state gifts they had received while in office for personal profit. Such gifts included a jewellery set from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

They were convicted of the charges on Wednesday. Along with the 14-year prison terms, the court ordered them to pay a fine of about 1.5 billion rupees (£4.2m;$5.3m).

On Wednesday, Khan’s PTI party said that the sentencing further meant that the former PM will also be disqualified for 10 years from holding public office.

A spokesman for his party described the ruling as: “Another sad day in our judicial system history, which is being dismantled.”

Khan and his PTI party had described that case and the others against him as bogus, arguing that the trials have occurred under duress in “kangaroo courts”, where proceedings have been rushed along.

Following Tuesday’s verdict, Khan told his followers to “take revenge for every injustice with your vote on February 8 while remaining peaceful” in a statement released on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

“Tell them that we are not sheep that can be driven with a stick,” he said.

Many are already questioning the credibility of next Thursday’s vote, given the extent to which Imran Khan – still one of Pakistan’s most popular politicians – and his party have been sidelined.

The authorities deny carrying out a crackdown on PTI, but many of its leaders are now behind bars or have defected. Its candidates are standing as independents and many are on the run.

Police also rounded up thousands of its supporters after protests – at times violent – last May when Imran Khan was first taken into custody.

The party has also been stripped of its cricket bat symbol, essential in a country with low literacy rates to allow voters to choose where to mark their ballots.

The man tipped to win is three-time former PM Nawaz Sharif, who returned from self-imposed exile in the autumn. He was a thorn in the side of the powerful military for much of his long career and was jailed for corruption ahead of the 2018 election that Imran Khan won.

Now many believe he is currently preferred by the Pakistan military establishment, while Khan- who used to be seen as close to the military – has fallen out of favour.

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Sultan Ibrahim, known for his extensive business empire spanning real estate, telecoms, and power plants, took his oath of office in a grand ceremony at the palace. The swearing-in was attended by other royal families, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and Cabinet members, signifying a moment of unity and tradition.

With his close ties to Prime Minister Anwar, Sultan Ibrahim’s rule holds the potential to strengthen Anwar’s unity government, particularly in facing opposition challenges. The coronation ceremony, set to be held later, will mark a formal celebration of Sultan Ibrahim’s ascension to the throne.

Malaysia’s rotating monarchy system, unique in the world, has been in place since the country gained independence from Britain in 1957. It reflects the rich heritage of Malay kingdoms, with nine states boasting royal families tracing their roots back to centuries-old dynasties.

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The firm, known formally as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., said it would maintain its maximum output at 12 million barrels a day.

It did not give a reason for the decision. However, crude oil prices globally have fallen over recent months as demand has been soft.

Benchmark Brent crude traded Tuesday around $81 a barrel.

Aramco reported earning $161 billion last year, claiming the highest-ever recorded annual profit by a publicly listed company and drawing immediate criticism from activists worried about climate change.

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