QATAR'S DAHRA GLOBAL IS DOWNING SHUTTERS, INDIANS ASKED TO QUIT

Eight ex-Indian Navy personnel working in Dahra Global were detained by Qatar's intelligence agencies last year and are yet to be released.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

The Doha-based Dahra Global is shutting down with all the Indian nationals employed in the said company being asked to resign. The Indian nationals, the majority of whom are ex-Indian Navy personnel and number around 75, have been told that their last day of work at Dahra will be 31 May. A majority of these Indian nationals will have to come back to India because of employment terms and conditions and rules related to work visas that are applicable in Qatar.

Dahra Global has been in the eye of the storm since August last year after eight ex-Indian Navy personnel, working with the said company in senior positions, were detained by Qatar's intelligence agencies. These eight Indian nationals, too, have been sacked by Dahra. The next hearing in the case is on 3 May during which it is expected that the charges under which they have been held will be revealed. The Government of India and the family members of the eight Indian nationals have replaced their previous legal team of "Office of Majid Al Hajri" with the law firm of "Ahmad Ali Al Hal". This happened after reports emerged that the previous law firm was showing "incompetency" in representing the interest of the Indian nationals.

Sources aware of the developments said, a new company called the "Advanced Services and Maintenance (ASM)", whose website is https://www.advanced-sm. com/home, is in the process of taking over all the assets owned by Dahra, including office buildings, contracts and non-Indian employees. Oman-based sources told The Sunday Guardian that Khamis Al Ajmi, a retired squadron leader of Royal Oman Air Force and who till now is CEO of Dahra, is the man behind ASM. Ajmi, too, was arrested by the Qatar intelligence agency along with the eight Indian nationals, but was freed in November last year.