The truth about Indian troops in Maldives

India has only crews and technicians for its patrol vessel, Dornier aircraft and two ALH, all in Maldivian colours.

Published on: Nov 19, 2023, 14:06:58 IST

By Shishir Gupta

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Less than 24 hours after taking oath as President of Maldives, Mohammed Muizzu on Saturday followed up on his 'Out India campaign' by formally requesting India to withdraw its military personnel from his country. However, Muizzu’s rhetoric and demand for the withdrawal of “Indian troops” need a closer examination of the actual nature of India's engagement in the island nation.

Mohamed Muizzu, the newly elected president of Maldives speaks during his inauguration ceremony in Male, Maldives November 17, 2023. (Reuters)

Firstly, contrary to Muizzu's assertion, India doesn't station troops in the Maldives. The fact is that India has only crews and technicians for its patrol vessel, Dornier aircraft, and two ALH helicopters, all adorned in Maldivian colours, for specific purposes such as medical evacuation, surveillance, and air rescue operations.

These assets play a crucial role in humanitarian missions rather than representing a military force. To label these assets as "Indian troops" is not just a misrepresentation but a falsehood.

Since 2019, there have been a total of 977 missions, with the majority dedicated to providing essential medical support to the Maldivian population. The limited air surveillance activities are a fraction of the overall operations, signalling a focus on humanitarian endeavours.

A more detailed breakdown of the missions allows us to discern the specific areas where these assets are deployed.

Mission Type	Total Missions (2019-2023)
Medical Evacuation	461
Search and Rescue	148
Air Patrol	69
Miscellaneous	22

The total number of missions shows an increasing trend from 2019 to 2022, reaching the highest in 2022 with 262 missions. However, there is a notable decrease in 2023 (up to October) with 159 missions compared to the previous year.

At a time when the Maldives is facing the dire consequences of climate change, with rising sea levels threatening its existence, India is well-positioned to provide immediate humanitarian relief. India has also invested significantly in the Maldives, amounting to over 1.5 billion dollars.

It is crucial for Muizzu to recognize that India is the Maldives' true ally, as demonstrated by its strategic investments, humanitarian efforts, and commitment to regional stability. Rather than pursuing an "Out India" campaign, Muizzu should focus on building a stronger partnership with India.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shishir Gupta
Shishir Gupta is Executive Editor at Hindustan Times and one of India's top journalists covering national security, strategic affairs, foreign policy and geopolitics. Over the past three decades, he has extensively reported on India's military, diplomatic and security landscape, covering every major conflict and national security challenge, from the 1999 Kargil War and the 2020 East Ladakh standoff to Operation Sindoor in 2025. He has also covered major terror attacks, including the IC-814 hijacking, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the 2025 Pahalgam terror strike, along with numerous Pakistan-backed terrorist incidents in the Kashmir Valley and across India. He has reported on national and state elections for more than three decades. A recognised authority on strategic affairs, Gupta has covered India's nuclear programme since the Pokhran-II (Shakti series) tests in May 1998 and has written extensively on global nuclear issues, Indian diplomacy and the country's expanding global outreach. He has also reported widely on international conflicts and terrorism, with a special focus on the Indian subcontinent. Gupta has interviewed Prime Minister Narendra Modi more than four times, including Modi's first interview with the print media after becoming Prime Minister in May 2014. His other interviews include three with the Dalai Lama, as well as conversations with Benjamin Netanyahu, Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath, S. Jaishankar, Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal. He is the author of Indian Mujahideen: The Enemy Within (Hachette, 2011) and Himalayan Face-off: Chinese Assertion and Indian Riposte (Hachette, 2014). He was awarded the Chevening-Wolfson Joint Scholarship at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, UK, in 1998 and participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the US State Department in 2006. He received the Ben Gurion Prize from Israel in 2011 and the K. Subrahmanyam Prize for Strategic Studies in 2015 from the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA). Since 2024, he has hosted Point Blank, Hindustan Times' weekly YouTube show on global geopolitics.Read More

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