QATAR
- INTERNATIONAL
News:
Qatar court drops death
penalty for 8 Indians, Govt says sentences reduced
What's
in the news?
●
In a first but important step bringing
relief to the families of eight former Indian Navy personnel on the death row
in Qatar, the appellate court there commuted
the death sentence.
Key
takeaways:
●
The detailed order of the Qatar court is
awaited, but the Government of India said that the sentences have been
“reduced”.
●
The commutation of the death sentence is
the first legal win for New Delhi, almost a year-and-half after the detention
and arrest of the former Indian Navy personnel in Qatar.
Qatar:
●
Qatar is located in the Western Asia, on
the Northeastern coast of the Arabian
Peninsula.
Boundaries:
●
It shares its international boundary with Saudi Arabia in the south, rest of
three sides; it is surrounded by the Persian Gulf.
●
A strait of the Persian Gulf divides Qatar
from its nearby island nation of Bahrain.
Capital:
Doha
Governance
in Qatar:
●
Qatar is an autocratic nation overseen by its ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin
Hamad Al Thani.
●
Political parties are banned.
●
The right to form unions and strike
remains extremely limited.
●
No independent human rights organizations
are operating in the country.
Qatar
and India:
●
Qatar holds important place in India
foreign policy, because of its location in middle east, huge natural gas
reserves and large sovereign fund.
●
It is also important for India due to
expats living there and remittance
they send us back. Indians form the
largest expatriate community (around 630,000) in Qatar.
●
Qatar is one of the most important trading
partner of India in the Gulf region and important contributor to India’s energy security.
●
It is the largest supplier of LNG to India, accounting for 80% of the total
imports.