Since September of last year, eight former Indian Navy officers have been imprisoned in Qatar. The families of these navy officers have called for their release. Qatar, which is rich in oil and gas, is alleged to have launched legal proceedings against the eight former Indian officers.
Why are these officers detained in Qatar?
The nation of Qatar claims that these officers engaged in espionage against the kingdom’s top-secret submarine programme. Accordingly, Qatar is in the process of obtaining high-tech submarines produced in Italy. The next hearing in the officers’ case is scheduled for May. In 2020, Qatar made a deal with an Italian Shipbuilding Company for the delivery of high-tech submarines. Qatar has stated that these Indian Navy officers have been passing on the information of the Submarines to Israel. According to the Indian officials they tried to convince their Qatari counterparts that the Indian nationals were not involved in any hostile operations against Doha.
What are the Claims of Qatar?
Doha authorities claim to have electronic proof indicating that the ex-Indian officers were gathering intelligence on Qatar’s submarine programme. The alleged evidence, however, has not been shared with Indian authorities. Purnendu Tiwari, Navtej Singh Gill, Birendra Kumar Verma, Sugunakar Pakala, Sanjeev Gupta, Amit Nagpal, Ragesh Gopakumar, and Saurab Vasisht are the names of the eight former officers. Qatar recruited the jailed former commanders to offer training for the Qatari navy. Purnendu Tiwari, a naval officer in the Indian Navy, received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman in 2019.
Between 2016 and 2018, Sugunakar Pakala was the general manager in charge of submarine repairs at Hindustan Shipyard in Visakhapatnam, while Purnendu Tiwari was the Managing Director of Dahra Global Technologies and Consulting Services, a defence consulting organisation.
Concerns in India and Israel about Qatar’s Submarine Plan
According to the paper, Qatar’s high-tech submarine programme has repercussions for both India and Israel. Pakistan maintains tight ties with Qatar, and India is concerned that Pakistan may seek stealth technology in new submarines for use against India. Israel is particularly anxious that cutting-edge technology would fall into the hands of its Arab adversaries, reducing its military advantage over them.
To crack the SSB Interview and join the Indian Army as an Officer, You can join our SSB interview live classes batch and we recommend you to Enroll SSB INTERVIEW ONLINE COURSE. Trusted by thousands of defence aspirants.
