Senior BJP leader & former Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday dropped a bizarre claim on the release of ex-navy officers from Qatar who were facing the death penalty. On Monday 7 out of 8 former Indian Navy Officers returned to India who were facing the death penalty in Qatar over espionage accusations. The Indian Navy veterans were accused of leaking information and spying for Israel and therefore they were handed the death penalty. However, after the Government of India's intervention especially, PM Modi, S Jaishanker, and NSA Ajit Doval, Qatar silently released 7 out of 8 Navy officers. While many hailed PM Modi and Doval for their diplomatic victory, the senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy made bizarre claims saying that not Doval but it was Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan who helped the Government of India in the release of the Navy veterans.
Reacting to a PM Modi's tweet on X saying that he is going to UAE and Qatar, Swamy wrote, "Modi should take Cinema star Sharuk Khan to Qatar with him since after MEA and NSA had failed to persuade the Shiekhs of Qatar, Modi pleaded with Khan to intervene , and thus got an expensive settlement from the Qatar Shiekhs to free our Naval officers."
Swamy's claims were made in PM Modi's tweet saying, "Over the next two days, I will be visiting UAE and Qatar to attend various programmes, which will deepen India's bilateral relations with these nations. My visit to UAE will be my seventh since assuming office, indicating the priority we attach to strong India-UAE friendship. I am eager to meet my brother, HH @MohamedBinZayed. I will have the honour of inaugurating the first Hindu Mandir in UAE. I will also address the Indian Community at a community programme in Abu Dhabi. I will also speak at the @WorldGovSummit and meet @HHShkMohd in Dubai. I look forward to meeting HH Sheikh @TamimBinHamad, under whose leadership Qatar is witnessing immense growth."
While the truth behind Swamy's claims cannot be ascertained, it is hard to believe that government officials will ask Shah Rukh Khan to intervene in such serious matters.
However, there is another truth. Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan was recently seen being greeted by Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in new photo. The actor was apparently in Doha to attend the AFC Final as a special guest of honour. In the said photo, SRK is seen wearing a white shirt and a blue hoodie as he warmly smiles and shakes the Prime Minister's hands.