‘Lies’: Maldives ex-minister slams Muizzu’s claims of withdrawing Indian troops

Former Maldivian foreign minister Abdulla Shahid on Sunday took aim at President Mohamed Muizzu’s claims of withdrawing “thousands of Indian troops”, saying they were just another “in a string of lies”.

In a post on X, Shahid said there were no armed foreign soldiers stationed in the island nation. He said the Muizzu government’s inability to provide the number of foreign troops in the island nation “speaks volumes”.

“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. Transparency matters, and the truth must prevail,” Shahid said.

On February 5, Muizzu said that the first group of Indian military personnel will be sent back from the island nation before March 10, while the remaining Indian troops manning two aviation platforms will be withdrawn by May 10.

The Maldivian President had said that the target was to lead the island nation to the point of having no foreign military presence in the country.

When Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, had won the presidential election in November 2023, he had promised to remove Indian troops from the island nation.

Around 90 Indian military personnel maintain New Delhi-sponsored radar stations and surveillance aircraft. Indian warships help patrol Maldives’ exclusive economic zone.

Muizzu recently declared that the Maldives will maintain autonomous control over all its territories, including maritime, aerial and terrestrial domains, apart from enhancing the country’s capabilities for conducting underwater surveys.

His statements came amid a diplomatic row over Maldivian politicians’ derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep in January, which led to a strain in bilateral ties between the two countries. In the aftermath, Muizzu doubled down on his anti-India posturing.

“We may be small, but that doesn’t give you the licence to bully us,” Muizzu said in a veiled dig at India, days after the controversy erupted.

Earlier this month, the Maldives’ government formally requested the Indian government to provide “comprehensive details” of an incident in which its coast guard personnel allegedly boarded three Maldivian fishing vessels operating within its economic zone.