No Indian troops to be in Maldives, not even in civilian clothing: Muizzu

A day after his country signed a defence cooperation agreement with China, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu on Tuesday (March 5) stepped up his anti-India rhetoric and affirmed that no Indian military personnel, not even those in civilian clothing, would be present inside his country after May 10.

As part of the defence deal, China will provide free military assistance to foster “stronger” bilateral ties with Maldives. Right after taking charge, President Muizzu set a deadline for the withdrawal of the first group of Indian military personnel from his island nation. An Indian civilian team already landed in Maldives last week to take charge of one of the three aviation platforms in the island nation, well ahead of the March 10 deadline.

“False rumours”

Addressing the Baa atoll Eydhafushi residential community during his tour across the atoll, the President stated that due to his government’s success in expelling Indian troops from the country, people who spread false rumours are attempting to twist the situation, a news portal Edition.mv reported.

“[The rumours are] That these people [Indian military] are not departing, that they are returning after changing their uniforms into civilian clothing. We must not indulge such thoughts that instil doubts in our hearts and spread lies,” the portal quoted Muizzu, widely regarded as a pro-China leader, as saying.

“There will be no Indian troops in the country come May 10, not in uniform and not in civilian clothing. The Indian military will not be residing in this country in any form of clothing. I state this with confidence,” he said, on a day when his country signed an agreement with China to receive free military aid.

India’s presence

Earlier last month, after a high-level meeting in Delhi on February 2 between the two sides, the Maldivian foreign ministry said India would replace its military personnel operating the three aviation platforms in the Maldives by May 10 and the first phase of the process would be completed by March 10.

There are 88 military personnel manning the three Indian platforms that have been providing humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of the Maldives for the last few years using two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft.

Muizzu’s anti-India stance

Muizzu rode to power last year on an anti-India stance and within hours of taking oath demanded India to remove its personnel from the strategically located archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

Muizzu, without naming India directly, had said in January that no country had the licence to “bully us”. In a veiled dig at Muizzu, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday that “big bullies don’t provide $4.5 billion aid” when neighbours are in distress. Jaishankar’s remark was in response to a question about whether India was being seen as a “bully” in the region.

India had agreed to remove the troops from Maldives under the condition that a number of their civilians equivalent to the military presence are brought to operate the aircraft.

Edition.mv further reported that while the first troops to depart the country are the Indian military personnel operating the two helicopters in Addu City, the military personnel present in Haa Dhaalu atoll Hanimaadhoo and Laamu atoll Kahdhoo are also expected to leave ahead of May 10.

Opposition attack

The Opposition has been directing criticism at the administration asserting that the Indian personnel sent to Maldives as civilians are in reality military officials out of uniform and that the government has no way to ascertain otherwise, the portal claimed.

Meanwhile, local media reports also said that Maldives has successfully tied up with Sri Lanka to run flights for medical evacuation last week, further indicating that it is bent on removing all Indian troops in whichever category.

The Maldives’ proximity to India, barely 70 nautical miles from the island of Minicoy in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the mainland’s western coast, and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) gives it significant strategic importance.

(With agency inputs)