‘String of lies’: Maldives’ ex-minister slams Muizzu over Indian troops' presence claim
In a post on X, Maldivian Democratic Party leader Abdullah Shahid said President Muizzu has failed to give proof to back his claim that “thousands of Indian military personnel" were stationed in Maldives
Maldives’ former foreign minister on Saturday (February 25) said that claims made by President Mohamed Muizzu that “thousands of Indian military personnel” were stationed in the country was just one of his lies, stating that the administration has failed to give numbers on the same.
“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,” Abdullah Shahid, also the leader of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) posted on X.
Shahid’s allegations come in the wake of the Muizzu government’s accusation against his party of allowing Indian soldiers to be stationed in the Maldives in violation of national sovereignty.
Muizzu’s Progressive Party of Maldives-People’s National Congress (PPM-PMC) coalition which had relied on ‘India-Out’ narrative had used the narrative about ‘Indian soldiers in Maldives’ to defeat the MDP in the presidential polls of 2023.
Slamming the Muizzu government of spreading falsehood to get public support, Shahid said the government’s inability to prove the presence of Indian soldiers or to show any “sovereignty-threatening” clauses in agreements with India displays that such claims have no basis.
Earlier this month, Muizzu had said that Maldives will soon reach a point where there is no "foreign" military presence, weeks after he sought the withdrawal of Indian defence personnel from the archipelago nation.
He had said that Maldives will maintain autonomous control over all its territories, including maritime, aerial, and terrestrial domains apart from enhancing Maldives' capabilities for conducting underwater surveys.
In his first presidential speech, Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, had said the first group of Indian military personnel will be sent back from the Maldives before March 10 and the remaining manning two aviation platforms will be withdrawn before May 10.