Shahrukh Khan Denies Involvement in Release of Navy Veterans from Qatar; Attributes Diplomatic Victory to Indian Government

Bollywood icon Shahrukh Khan has asserted that he played no part in the release of the former Indian Navy veterans recently freed from a Qatar jail. In a social media statement issued on Tuesday night, the actor credited the Indian government for achieving a complete diplomatic victory in securing the return of the ex-marines.

Shahrukh Khan emphasized that the successful resolution was orchestrated by skilled leaders and officers, expressing his joy as a fellow Indian over the release of the former soldiers from Qatar.

The clarification from Khan comes in response to BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's earlier claim that the Ministry of External Affairs and NSA Ajit Doval had faced difficulties in securing the release of the eight Navy veterans. Swamy alleged that Prime Minister Modi had sought Shahrukh Khan's assistance, leading to a significant financial settlement with Qatar.

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The Bollywood megastar was in Qatar's capital, Doha, recently to attend the AFC final as a special guest of honour. PM Modi, who is in the UAE, will travel to Qatar on Wednesday to discuss ways to strengthen the ties between the two nations.

After being released, a Navy veteran - one of seven who are already back in India - thanked PM Modi and said they would not have been freed without his “personal intervention”.

"We waited for almost 18 months to be back in India. We are extremely grateful to the PM. It wouldn't have been possible without his personal intervention and his equation with Qatar. We are grateful to the Government of India from the bottom of our hearts for every effort that has been made and this day won't have been possible without those efforts," he said on Monday.

In a statement the same day, the Ministry of External Affairs said, "The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained in Qatar. 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."

Qatar recently released eight former Indian Navy officers who had received death sentences in the country last year. Seven of them returned to India in the early hours of Monday. However, specific details regarding the conditions of their safe return remain undisclosed.