Maldives Can’t Tide Over Lakshadweep Row by Mere Suspensions, Trouble Runs Deep: Govt Sources | Exclusive

Even though the Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s government distanced itself from the anti-India remarks and suspended three government officials, recent incidents suggest that they are open to hostile ties with India, said top government sources.

“Not just the row, Muizzu has clearly started his foreign policy with an anti-India note, by visiting Turkey and China first and no mention of any plans of coming to India, which is a traditional practice. The provocation clearly suggests that they are open to a hostile relationship with India and are trying their best to please the Muslim world and China to gain favour on both fronts," said sources.

Muizzu’s predecessors, in the recent past, visited India first, considering the wide-ranging bilateral ties and the Maldives’ proximity to India, followed by China which has expanded its influence in the island nation by investing in major infrastructure projects there.

Muizzu arrived in China on Monday on a five-day state visit during which he is due to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and sign several agreements to bolster the bilateral ties. Muizzu, who is regarded as pro-China, is accompanied by his wife Sajidha Mohamed and a high-level delegation.

“The Indian side is watching these fast-evolving developments carefully and analysing them."

THE ROW & THE FALLOUT

PM Narendra Modi recently posted pictures and videos of his Lakshadweep visit, which went viral and prompted many social media users to suggest that the union territory could be an alternative tourist destination to the Maldives.

Triggering a diplomatic row, a senior minister in the Muizzu-led government, Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, accused India of targeting the Maldives. He said India faces significant challenges in competing with the Maldives when it comes to beach tourism. Majid later deleted his tweet.

Later, several high-ranking officials of the Maldivian government also made offensive and derogatory comments, targeting Modi and Indians. The social media war led to en-masse cancellations of trips to the Maldives by Indians. The ‘Boycott Maldives’ trend led several Indians to cancel their bookings in the past 24 to 48 hours.

The government, in turn, suspended Hassan Zihan, deputy minister of transport and civil; Mariyam Shiuna, deputy minister of youth empowerment, information and arts; and Malsha Sharif, deputy minister of ministry of youth empowerment.

Maldives high commissioner Ibrahim Shaheeb on Monday visited the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi’s south block after a summons was sent to him by the authorities. Following Shaheeb’s summons, now Indian High Commissioner Munu Mahawar to the Maldives has been asked to reach the Maldives foreign ministry at 12:30 pm. The high commissioner’s official handle on X, however, posted: “Mahawar had a pre-arranged meeting with H.E. Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed, Ambassador at Large, at MoFA, Maldives, to discuss bilateral issues."

MALDVIES, TURKEY, CHINA & INDIA

Turkey is major base for Kashmiri separatists and vocal against Indian government’s stand on Kashmir, which is an internal matter of India. China is openly entering all traditional centres where India was leading such as Sri Lanka, Nepal and now Maldives.

Muizzu will also attend the Invest Maldives Forum in the southeastern Chinese city of Fuzhou, China and meet with senior Chinese business leaders to explore avenues for strengthening socioeconomic relations between the Maldives and China, it said.

The Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and occupies a special place in its initiatives like SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the Neighbourhood First Policy’ of the Modi government. 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 gives it significant strategic importance.

“India and the Maldives have been allies for the past 60 years and important for both the countries to maintain that mutual respect. However, the recent incidents, especially use of language by certain officials, is not the tone of foreign policy," said sources.

With PTI Inputs