The appeal came on the eve of Al-Thani’s two-day state visit to India.

The retired naval personnel who returned to India last year included Captains Navtej Gill and Saurabh Vasisht, Commanders Sanjeev Gupta, Amit Nagpal, BK Verma, and Sugunakar Pakala, and sailor Ragesh.

However, Commander Purnendu Tiwari (retd) is still in Qatar.

“One year has passed since Qatar released eight decorated Indian Navy personnel but one of them remains there due to a travel ban,” Gupta and Pakala said in a joint statement.

“With His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar visiting India and the history of diplomatic ties and relations between two countries, we request both the leaders for an early resolution of the issue and remain positive for early lifting of the travel ban and Tiwari’s return. This would help him reunite with his family, especially his old mother.”

In December 2023, Qatar’s Court of Appeal commuted the death sentences awarded to the eight men and sentenced them to prison for varying durations ranging from three years to 25 years.

The eight men were employees of Al Dahra Global Technologies, a private firm that provided training and other services to Qatar’s armed forces and security agencies. They were held on held on unspecified charges since August 2022. The sentence was handed down by Qatar’s Court of First Instance.

The veterans held in Qatar jail had outstanding careers in the navy. One of them, Gill, was awarded the President’s gold medal for excellence when he graduated from the naval academy and later served as an instructor at the prestigious Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) at Wellington in Tamil Nadu.

Tiwari was conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award five years ago; the first from Indian armed forces to be awarded the highest honour for NRIs/persons of Indian origin.

“Those 17 months were horrendous. The first six months were even worse. At times, I got this feeling that I might die there only,” Gupta said in an interview last February after returning to India. In the 531 days Gupta was there, he read 42 books and spent four hours daily meditating and practising yoga.