the edit: 2023

On 26 October 2023, the Qatari government had ordered a death sentence for 8 Indians under the suspicion of spying for the Israeli state while being employed for a PSU which was developing stealth technology. All 8 of these individuals were ex-Indian Navy officials who were working for DAHRA, the PSU in question. There was a Court of Appeal hearing on 20 November and then a follow-up Hearing on 23 November. Subsequently, the Indian Prime Minister met the Qatari Emir on December 1, allowing India to secure consular access through the Indian Ambassador to Qatar, Mr. Vipul on December 3. Following this, a Hearing on 7 December was held. On 28 December, the Indian foreign ministry informed that the sentences for the 8 individuals were reduced.

The Rajouri Ambush that took the lives of 5 Army personnel and injured 2, was claimed by People’s Anti-Fascist Front, an outfit of the Jaish-e-Mohammad. There are a few main reasons to believe that this was at the behest of the Pakistani deep-state: one being the string of attacks on declared terrorist individuals throughout Pakistan. The rise of anti-incumbency in the narrative of Pakistani politics is another reason, with this attack and an expected reaction by India being used to unite a divided nation; nothing unites Pakistan like the threat of an Indian attack. The rise of terror attacks inside Pakistan itself are a huge motivator for this ambush.