SRK secured Navy veterans' release from Qatar? Here's the truth
What's the story
Shah Rukh Khan recently paid a visit to Doha, Qatar, as the special guest of honor at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) final last week. Now, on Tuesday, the actor found himself trending on X/Twitter. However, it wasn't his stardom or AFC Final appearance that sparked the trend but the remarks of former Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy. The veteran politician alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought SRK's help for the release of former Indian naval officers detained in Qatar.
Context
Why does this story matter?
On Monday, Qatari authorities released eight former Indian Navy personnel who were detained in the country. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed gratitude for their release, confirming that seven of the eight individuals have returned to India. They were initially sentenced to death on "accusations of espionage." Interestingly, this entire incident coincided with SRK's visit to the Gulf country for the AFC final. Now, a statement has come on behalf of the actor, nullifying Swamy's claim.
Latest update
SRK's representative rubbished claims of him having any role
A few hours after Swamy's tweet went viral, an official statement from the office of King Khan was issued on X. Posted by the actor's manager Pooja Dadlani's handle, the statement clarified that Khan had no involvement in the release of the Navy veterans. SRK reportedly conveyed that "the execution of this successful resolution solely rests with the Indian government officials and unequivocally denies [his] participation in the matter."
Statement
This is what Swamy had said
Swamy took to X/Twitter to criticize Modi's upcoming visit to Qatar. He claimed, "Modi should take...Khan to Qatar with him since after MEA and [National Security Advisor Ajit Doval] 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." Following his post, netizens promptly initiated a trend for SRK, with some acknowledging Swamy's statements by saying, "SRK, you won our heart."
Twitter Post
Take a look at Swamy's post
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.
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) February 13, 2024
Reactions
'This is huge': Social media users' reactions
"This is huge!!" exclaimed one social media user in response to Swamy's post. The user wrote, "I thought it was Modi Govt who freed our ex-Navy officers, but now Swamy has revealed that it was SRK who intervened and convinced the Sheikhs to send our Officers back (sic)." Continuing, they added, "Irony is that this is the same SRK who is time and again being labeled as Anti-National by BJP IT cell, but he has always proved his Nationalism (sic)."
Twitter Post
Take a look at the user's post here
This is Huge !!
— Jitesh (@Chaotic_mind99) February 13, 2024
Yesterday i thought it was modi Govt who freed our ex Navy officers but now @Swamy39 has revealed that it was #ShahRukhKhan𓀠 who intervened and convinced the Sheikhs to send our Officers back.
Irony is that, this is the same Shahrukh khan who is time and again… pic.twitter.com/axjJsdmJuK
Details
Swamy's history of controversial comments
This incident, however, is not the first time Swamy has made outrageous claims to grab the spotlight. He previously asserted that Modi and Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah were plotting to "assassinate" him. Meanwhile, Modi on Tuesday commenced a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar. He is anticipated to engage in bilateral meetings with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to strengthen diplomatic relations between the two nations further.