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India\u2019s foreign minister on Monday said the country would \u201cmake all efforts\u201d to secure the release of eight ex-navy personnel sentenced to death<\/a> by a court in Qatar, reportedly for spying for Israel.<\/p>\n Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said he had met the families of the detained Indians and told them the government \u201cattaches the highest importance\u201d to their case.<\/p>\n Indian media report the eight \u2014 among them former high-ranking and decorated officers, including captains who once commanded warships \u2014 were arrested<\/a> in Doha in August 2022.<\/p>\n In a post on social media, Jaishankar said that he fully shared \u201cthe concerns and pain of the families\u201d, and that the \u201cgovernment will continue to make all efforts to secure their release\u201d.<\/p>\n Qatar has not commented on the case and the charges have not been made public.<\/p>\n India\u2019s navy chief, Admiral R. Hari Kumar, told reporters on Monday that \u201cevery effort\u201d was being made by the government to \u201cget relief for our personnel\u201d.<\/p>\n The sentences were only revealed last week when India\u2019s foreign ministry said it was \u201cshocked<\/a>\u201d at the case.<\/p>\n The eight men were employees of Al Dahra, a Gulf-based company that offers \u201ccomplete support solutions\u201d to the aerospace, security and defence sectors, according to its website.<\/p>\n The Hindu<\/em> newspaper reported<\/a> the men were spying for a \u201cthird country\u201d, while the Times of India<\/em> has said<\/a> that \u201cvarious reports claimed they were accused of spying for Israel\u201d.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s government has not commented on the case.<\/p>\n Meetu Bhargava, the sister of one of the men, dismissed the allegations.<\/p>\n \u201cMy brother is 63 years old\u2026 Why would he spy for Israel? Why would he do anything like this at his age?\u201d Bhargava was quoted as saying by the Indian Express<\/em> daily.<\/p>\n She said she would seek the \u201cpersonal intervention\u201d of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.<\/p>\n Last week, the Indian foreign ministry had said it would take up the verdict with Qatari authorities and would continue to \u201cextend all consular and legal assistance\u201d to the prisoners.<\/p>\n Qatar rarely carries out executions, and the Gulf state has previously said a death sentence is equivalent to a life sentence.<\/p>\n According to Amnesty International, the country executed one condemned Nepali migrant worker in 2020, after a 20-year hiatus.<\/p>\n New Delhi shares historically friendly ties with Doha, a key supplier of natural gas to India. More than two-thirds of Qatar\u2019s 2.8 million population are migrant workers, and many of them are Indian citizens.<\/p>\n