MALDIVES CRISIS: NASHEED SEEKS INDIAN ENVOY, MILITARY HELP
NEW DELHI: Former president Mohamed Nasheed on Tuesday sought a military intervention by India to free detained judges and political leaders in Maldives following the imposition of a 15-day emergency by President Abdulla Yameen.
Late Tuesday night, the Maldives Supreme Court annulled its own order to free nine high-profile political leaders.
India said it was “disturbed” by the emergency and the suspension of constitutional rights by Yameen even as officials in New Delhi firmed up contingency plans to cope with the evolving situation in the island nation.
“We would like the Indian government to send an envoy, backed by its military, to free the judges and the political detainees, including former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, from their detention and to bring them to their homes. We are asking for a physical presence,” Nasheed, currently in self-exile, tweeted.
Asked whether India is considering Nasheed’s request, an Indian official said, “All I can say is that the government continues to monitor the situation.”
India will follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) that include keeping troops in readiness, government sources told PTI. Sources said troop movement was seen at a key airbase in southern India.
According to the SOPs, troops are kept ready to meet any eventuality, crisis or requirement for help.
The deputy speaker of the Maldivian Parliament, Reeko Moosa Manik, said: “The Indian military won’t come because Nasheed told them to. India is not cruel to us.”
Hours after imposing emergency on Monday, Yameen ordered the detention of Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed, another judge, Ali Hameed, and Gayoom, who was held at his home.
The political crisis in the Indian Ocean archipelago began last week when the Maldives Supreme Court cleared Nasheed of terror charges and ordered the release of eight imprisoned political leaders. Yameen accused judges of plotting to overthrow him and said the emergency was meant to facilitate an investigation into the plot.
India issued a strong statement expressing concern at the developments. “We are disturbed by the declaration of a state of emergency in the Maldives following the refusal of the government to abide by the unanimous ruling of the full bench of the Supreme Court on 1 February, and also by the suspension of constitutional rights of the people of Maldives,” the external affairs ministry said. It added “the arrest of the Supreme Court Chief Justice and political figures are also reasons for concern”.
“Government continues to carefully monitor the situation,” said the statement which came in the wake of Nasheed urging India to intervene militarily to defuse the confrontation between the judiciary and Yameen’s regime.
Indian officials said the government is in discussions with other countries that are “concerned about the situation”, and the interest of Indian citizens in the island nation is a top priority.
“We have been keeping an eye on the developments in the Maldives and we are looking at contingency measures to deal with the situation as we have a sizeable number of our citizens living in that country,” said an official.
There are 22,000 Indian nationals in the Maldives. New Delhi has issued a travel warning. Stability in the Maldives is an imperative for securing key shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean.