Qatar’s inroads among India’s bureaucratic and political elites cannot be ignored, especially considering Doha’s history of influence campaigns through financial incentives to think tanks, diplomats, and journalists – writes Abhinav Pandya

India’s condemnation of Israel’s strikes on Hamas leaders in Qatar is a diplomatic disaster. In a September 10, 2025, telephone call to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern about the violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law, albeit without mentioning Israel directly. Modi’s implicit condemnation came despite the fact that Israel had done exactly what India did in its recent war with Pakistan: targeted terrorist leadership and their complexes in a foreign country.

Several factors might color Modi’s reaction. First, he is a friend of the Qatari emir. Second, India’s dependence on Qatar for liquefied natural gas and Qatar’s help winning the release of eight Indian Navy soldiers who faced a death sentence in Qatar on charges of........

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