MARGAO
Indian Naval Officer (Retired) Capt Viriato Fernandes has knocked the doors of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring back home the eight ex-Indian Navy officers and men being sentenced to death by the Qatar Court for their alleged involvement in an “espionage case” in a trial, which he said has been conducted in a very secretive, unfair and opaque manner.
In his letter, Capt Viriato requested the Prime Minister to explore all diplomatic avenues and the often stated close relationship with the Emir of Qatar to go that extra mile and leave no stone unturned to demonstrate India's commitment to its expatriate citizens and concern for their welfare and safety by safely bringing back home our war heroes and uniting them with their anxious families.
Saying there is no doubt that this case is a highly sensitive one and will have its repercussions, Viriato pointed out there are 15,000 Indian companies operating in Qatar and over seven lakh Indian expatriates stationed in Qatar who are playing a significant role in its development and growth. “Failure to save the lives of our people may serve to demoralize them and cast a cloud of uncertainty regarding their own security, safety and their very future in Qatar”, he said.
He added: “There are serious allegations which I too am inclined to believe that this imbroglio has been engineered by our hostile neighbour with the objective of jeopardizing blossoming ties between India and Qatar and driving a serious wedge between it and friendly Arab nations. If the nation does not succeed in bringing back home our revered and endangered war heroes, then it will be a poor reflection on the stature and standing commanded by India in the international arena”.
Saying most of those who have been accused happen to be highly decorated war veterans, of very high integrity, which makes the case even more perplexing, he said the skillful handling of this case will send out a strong and unequivocal message that the nation looks after its soldiers and those who have served it.
“There is no doubt that this case will reflect on India's global influence, status and prestige, especially because bilateral relations between India and Qatar are deep rooted and have been actively nurtured over the past three decades through periodic high level visits between the two countries and regular talks on co-operation on a whole gamut of bilateral issues of common interest. The deepening of ties also indicates the reasons for the bilateral trade which presently touch almost 19 billion dollars”, he said.
Viriato added: “As India and Qatar celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relationship which began way back in 1973, the release of our war veterans becomes a litmus test to this deep rooted and culturally bonded relationship. In 2015, six agreements were inked between your Honourable Self and the visiting Emir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani involving not only co- operation in various fields but also an agreement on transfer of prisoners. Could this agreement be invoked to bring our veterans and heroes safely back home”.
