Eight former Indian naval personnel, who were languishing in a jail in Qatar, were released by Qatari authorities.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India welcomed the decision.

“The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained in Qatar,” the MEA said.

“Seven out of the eight of them have returned to India. We appreciate the decision by the Amir of the State of Qatar to enable the release and home-coming of these nationals,” it said.