Yameen described as disheartening the remarks made by a Maldivian minister in which he had said that removing Indian troops won’t be easy. The former president recalled that removal of Indian soldiers was among the most important “presidential vows” of Muizzu. His comments came in the middle of the controversy over the death of a 13-year-old, allegedly because of delayed medical evacuation.
India-Maldives Diplomatic tensions: President Muizzu sets March 15 deadline to withdrawal of Indian army
A parliamentary committee has initiated a probe into the issue and Muizzu himself has come under criticism from the opposition for the failure of the local authorities to use Indian helicopters for the purpose.
Considered China’s most trusted ally in the country, Yameen was a mentor to Muizzu but recently fell out with him and helped launch a new political outfit. Both are pro-China leaders but it’s Yameen who is believed to be the architect of the ‘India Out’ campaign that apparently tipped the balance in Muizzu’s favour in the presidential polls last year.
It was also Yameen’s idea in 2018 as president to have the Indian soldiers thrown out, along with Indian choppers and an aircraft they help operate and maintain, that Muizzu wants to implement. Yameen was in prison, but Muizzu ensured that the former president was moved to house-arrest a day after he won the presidential run off against his predecessor Ibrahim Solih in September, 2023.
“It is very disheartening to hear these words from a minister of the President’s Office of a government that came with immense courage and resolve to remove the Indian troops from Maldives. Nothing will be easy.” said Yameen, who was allowed to participate in a meeting of the party he recently launched.
After his return from China, Muizzu asked India to pull out its troops by March 15. The president wants to replace Indian choppers and aircraft, which have carried out 500 medical evacuations in the country saving 523 lives, with an air ambulance service he’s planning to launch on March 1. With Yameen breathing down his neck, Muizzu is unlikely to rethink his decision, which he says is backed by the democratic will of the Maldivian people.
Muizzu has linked the issue with Maldives’ sovereignty, saying India not removing forces will imperil democracy in the Maldives. After he met the commander of the US Indo-Pacific command on Sunday, Muizzu’s office said the commander affirmed US support in maintaining peace while “preserving its sovereignty”.
However, Muizzu wants to see the back of the Indian military personnel, as he told TOI in an interview, through diplomatic means.