Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Mystery trial: On the case of the former Indian Navy personnel in Qatar

Mystery trial: On the case of the former Indian Navy personnel in Qatar

India must leverage ties with Qatar to free its citizens facing death penalty

The death sentence (punishment, judgement, verdict, ruling) handed down by a Qatari court on Thursday to eight Indians reportedly (कथित तौर पर) accused (आरोप) of espionage (जासूसी) is indeed (वास्तव में) “deeply shocking”, as the Ministry of External Affairs described in a statement, and the situation is now a major test of the Narendra Modi government’s diplomatic (कूटनीतिक) skills. The trial (परीक्षण) was shrouded (cover or hide something; conceal, envelop, veil, screen, cloak, curtain, obscure) in secrecy, with scant (little or no, hardly any, meagre) information on the charges (accusation, allegation, indictment) and evidence against the former Indian Navy servicemen, arrested in August 2022. Despite pleas (appeal, request, petition, entreaty, application) from their families and Indian diplomats (envoy, ambassador, consul, emissary) in Doha, Qatar has not explained why it has not divulged (disclose, reveal, make known) details of the case. Even the judgment has yet to be shared with New Delhi. Leaked reports suggest that the men have been accused of sharing secret information pertaining (से संबंध रखना) to the stealth (secrecy, secretiveness, covertness, clandestineness) submarine (a warship submerged in the water) programme they worked on, with a third country, a charge their families have denied. Visits by Indian officials (अधिकारी) to Qatar to plead (appeal to, petition, supplicate, entreat, call on, request, ask earnestly) for leniency (mercy, clemency, forgiveness/forbearance, soft-heartedness) and transparency (पारदर्शिता) have been of no avail. While this case has some parallels (समानता) to the case of former Naval Commander Jadhav, who is on death row (quarrel, fight, squabble, clash, dispute) too in Pakistan, the difference is that India’s ties with Qatar have been relatively (to a certain extent/degree; comparatively, somewhat, reasonably, satisfactorily) better. Apart from strategic (रणनीतिक) and defence cooperation agreements, India sources 40% of its LNG needs from Qatar. India is also Qatar’s third biggest source of imports, particularly raw materials for construction and fresh food items. Pertinently (relevantly, suitably, appropriately, germanely), these supplies continued despite the Gulf blockade against Qatar in 2017, which should have counted (गणना करना) for some goodwill (सद्भावना) towards India. In addition, 7,00,000 Indian expatriates (प्रवासी) are an integral part of Qatar’s institutions, industry and workforce. A rift (split, division; disagreement, dispute, quarrel, conflict) in ties, which a sentence like this is bound to (sure, likely, guaranteed) engender (cause, give rise to, bring about, produce, create, (a particular feeling, atmosphere, or situation)), will be to the detriment of both countries, and India must make this clear to Qatar.

The government must waste no time (to begin or start an activity immediately/quickly; take the opportunity to do something immediately/quickly) in charting (outline, detail, describe, represent, note) the next steps to ensure the Indians are given the best possible support in an appeal (petition, plea, entreaty, application). Apart from the legal appeals process and diplomatic legwork (the gathering, review and understanding of the basic facts, figures and research required to achieve an objective), channels (means of communication, medium, vehicle, approach, instrument, mechanism, apparatus) to the Qatari leadership should be activated at the highest levels, including the Prime Minister if necessary. A case must be made for clemency (mercy, leniency, forgiveness/forbearance) and commuting (reduce, lessen, scale down (a judicial sentence, especially a sentence of death)) the sentences to jail terms that could even be served (spend (a period) in prison) out in India if the men are indeed found guilty (at fault, culpable, accountable/responsible for misconduct) in the appeals process. Notwithstanding (despite, regardless of, in spite of, nevertheless, in any case) reports that seek (try, aim, attempt) to tie (link, connect, relate, join) the verdict to more geopolitical (relating to (the study of) the geographical factors (a country’s position on the earth, size, climate, and natural resources &, etc.) in world politics and inter-state relations) considerations (a fact taken into account in deciding something; factor, point, concern, issue, matter), including perceived (discernable, noticeable, recognizable; recognized, identified, distinguished, supposed, regarded, considered) Qatari differences (disagreement, difference of opinion, misunderstanding, argument, dispute) with India over its policy on Israel and Palestine in the current conflict (war, warfare, armed conflict, military action, armed clash), the government must demonstrate that the lives of the men are indeed a priority for their country and for a government that claims (state, represent, assert, affirm, profess) a policy of “no Indian left behind”.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.trial (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - परीक्षण
English Meaning - court case, lawsuit, inquiry, tribunal.

2.personnel (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कार्यकर्ता
English Meaning - forces, crew, employees, workforce, staff.

3.reportedly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - कथित तौर पर
English Meaning - apparently, supposedly, evidently, seemingly, allegedly, presumably, ostensibly.

4.accuse (verb)

Hindi Meaning - आरोप
English Meaning - charge, allege, incriminate.

5.espionage (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जासूसी
English Meaning - the act of spying; obtaining secret or confidential (political or military) information of a country and/or disclosing it without the permission of that country; undercover work, infiltration, counter-intelligence.

6.indeed (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - वास्तव में
English Meaning - in fact, actually.

7.diplomatic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - कूटनीतिक
English Meaning - tactful, sensitive, subtle, delicate; consular, foreign-policy.

8.pertain (verb)

Hindi Meaning - से संबंध रखना
English Meaning - concern, relate to, be connected with.

9.official (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अधिकारी
English Meaning - officer, functionary, executive, bureaucrat, dignitary, mandarin.

10.transparency (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पारदर्शिता
English Meaning - clarity, straightforwardness, openness, honesty, unambiguity.

11.parallel (noun)

Hindi Meaning - समानता
English Meaning - equivalence, similarity.

12.strategic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - रणनीतिक
English Meaning - relating to achieving long-term or overall goals.

13.count (verb)

Hindi Meaning - गणना करना
English Meaning - consider, regard, take into consideration, take account of.

14.goodwill (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सद्भावना
English Meaning - compassion; cooperation, collaboration, friendliness, mutual support.

15.expatriate (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रवासी
English Meaning - migrant, emigrant, living abroad, non-native.

16.leverage (verb)

English Meaning - use something to maximum benefit/advantage.

17.ties (noun)

English Meaning - association, relationship, bond, connection.

18.sentence (noun)

English Meaning - punishment, judgement, verdict, ruling.

19.hand down (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - give, declare, announce (a verdict/judgement).

20.deeply (adverb)

English Meaning - seriously, intensely, strongly, awfully, terribly.

21.shroud (verb)

English Meaning - cover or hide something; conceal, envelop, veil, screen, cloak, curtain, obscure.

22.scant (adjective)

English Meaning - little or no, hardly any, meagre.

23.charge (noun)

English Meaning - accusation, allegation, indictment.

24.plea (noun)

English Meaning - appeal, request, petition, entreaty, application.

25.diplomat (noun)

English Meaning - envoy, ambassador, consul, emissary.

26.divulge (verb)

English Meaning - disclose, reveal, make known.

27.stealth (noun as modifier)

English Meaning - secrecy, secretiveness, covertness, clandestineness

28.submarine (noun)

English Meaning - a warship submerged in the water.

29.plead (verb)

English Meaning - appeal to, petition, supplicate, entreat, call on, request, ask earnestly.

30.leniency (noun)

English Meaning - mercy, clemency, forgiveness/forbearance, soft-heartedness.

31.of no avail (phrase)

English Meaning - of no use; of no advantage, without success; ineffective.

32.row (noun)

English Meaning - quarrel, fight, squabble, clash, dispute.

33.relatively (adverb)

English Meaning - to a certain extent/degree; comparatively, somewhat, reasonably, satisfactorily.

34.Liquefied natural gas (LNG) (noun)

English Meaning - Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid state, at about -260° Fahrenheit (-162.2° C), for shipping and storage.

35.pertinently (adverb)

English Meaning - relevantly, suitably, appropriately, germanely.

36.Qatar blockade (noun)

English Meaning - Saudi Arabia and the other three countries (the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt) launched the blockade without warning on June 5, 2017, cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar and closing their airspace and ports to Qatari traffic, accusing it of destabilising the region with its support for Islamist groups. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt lifted their blockade on Qatar and restored diplomatic relations with the country on Jan 5, 2021.

37.rift (noun)

English Meaning - split, division; disagreement, dispute, quarrel, conflict.

38.bound to (adjective)

English Meaning - sure, likely, guaranteed.

39.engender (verb)

English Meaning - cause, give rise to, bring about, produce, create, (a particular feeling, atmosphere, or situation).

40.detriment (noun)

English Meaning - damage, harm, loss, disadvantage, impairment.

41.make clear (phrase)

English Meaning - explain, clarify, elucidate.

42.waste no time (verb)

English Meaning - to begin or start an activity immediately/quickly; take the opportunity to do something immediately/quickly.

43.chart (verb)

English Meaning - outline, detail, describe, represent, note.

44.appeal (noun)

English Meaning - petition, plea, entreaty, application.

45.legwork (noun)

English Meaning - the gathering, review and understanding of the basic facts, figures and research required to achieve an objective.

46.channel (noun)

English Meaning - means of communication, medium, vehicle, approach, instrument, mechanism, apparatus.

47.clemency (noun)

English Meaning - mercy, leniency, forgiveness/forbearance.

48.commute (verb)

English Meaning - reduce, lessen, scale down (a judicial sentence, especially a sentence of death).

49.serve (verb)

English Meaning - spend (a period) in prison.

50.guilty (adjective)

English Meaning - at fault, culpable, accountable/responsible for misconduct.

51.find guilty (phrase)

English Meaning - declare guilty, convict, sentence.

52.notwithstanding (preposition)

English Meaning - despite, regardless of, in spite of, nevertheless, in any case.

53.seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

54.tie (verb)

English Meaning - link, connect, relate, join.

55.geopolitical (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to (the study of) the geographical factors (a country’s position on the earth, size, climate, and natural resources &, etc.) in world politics and inter-state relations.

56.consideration (noun)

English Meaning - a fact taken into account in deciding something; factor, point, concern, issue, matter.

57.perceived (adjective)

English Meaning - discernable, noticeable, recognizable; recognized, identified, distinguished, supposed, regarded, considered.

58.difference (noun)

English Meaning - disagreement, difference of opinion, misunderstanding, argument, dispute.

59.conflict (noun)

English Meaning - war, warfare, armed conflict, military action, armed clash.

60.claim (noun)

English Meaning - state, represent, assert, affirm, profess.

61.leave behind (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - abandon, desert, forsake, disown, leave stranded.