On Indian troops in Maldives claim, ex-minister's 'lies' jab at President Mohamed Muizzu
The removal of Indian troops in the Maldives was the main campaign of President Mohamed Muizzu's party.
Abdulla Shahid, former Maldivian foreign affairs minister, has claimed that President Mohamed Muizzu's assertions regarding “thousands of Indian military personnel” were merely another falsehood in a series of fabrications. Abdulla Shahid emphasised that no armed foreign soldiers are stationed in the Maldives.
Taking to his social media platform X, the newly elected president of the Maldivian Democratic Party said, "100 days in, it's clear: President Muizzu's claims of 'thousands of Indian military personnel' were just another in a string of lies. The current administration's inability to provide specific numbers speaks volumes. There are no armed foreign soldiers stationed in the country."
Abdulla Shahid underscored the importance of transparency and the necessity for truth to prevail.
"Transparency matters, and the truth must prevail," he stated.
The removal of Indian troops in the Maldives was the main campaign of Muizzu's party.
Earlier this month, the external affairs ministry had confirmed that India’s military personnel in the Maldives were set to be replaced by technical personnel. “The present personnel will be replaced by competent Indian technical personnel," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to a question at a press briefing in New Delhi.
The matter was discussed at the second meeting of the India-Maldives High Level Core Group, after which the external affairs ministry said both countries had agreed to a set of “mutually workable solutions" to allow “the continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medvac services to the people of Maldives".
India has provided the Maldives with various types of defence equipment, including helicopters and Dornier aircraft, but the presence of about 80 Indian defence personnel – stationed there to operate this equipment – has become a matter of controversy ever since Mohamed Muizzu criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and pledged to remove foreign military troops from the country.
Earlier, reports in the Indian media indicated that Muizzu had called on Indian troops to leave the country by March 15. Muizzu has also said he would prefer to diversify the country’s diplomatic relationships beyond India, breaking with its traditional ‘India-first’ foreign policy. The new presidents's overtures to China, in particular, have caused concern in India’s strategic community.
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