Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has given a deadline to India to withdraw its troops from the island nation. The Maldivian President said the Indian military personnel should leave the nation by March 15. The development comes a few days after Mohamed Muizzu met Xi Jinping on his first state visit to China after being elected. 

Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, the public policy secretary at the President’s Office, said, “Indian military personnel cannot stay in the Maldives. This is the policy of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and that of this administration.” According to reports, around 88 Indian troops are present in Maldives. 

The Maldives President’s deadline comes almost two months after he called for a withdrawal of Indian troops and said the nation “has to ensure that there is no presence of a foreign military on their soil”. The current Maldivian President came to power with his “India Out” campaign and is considered close to China.

India-Maldives Diplomatic Row

Maldives and India have set up a high-level core group to negotiate the withdrawal of troops. The group held its first meeting at the Foreign Ministry Headquarters in Male’ on Sunday morning. Indian High Commissioner Munu Mahawar also attended the meeting, the report said.

Nazim confirmed the meeting and said the agenda for the meeting was the request to withdraw troops by March 15. The Indian government did not immediately confirm or comment on the media report.

The withdrawal of the Indian troops from Maldives was a key election promise of Muizzu. It recently upgraded ties with China after a diplomatic row between India and Maldives erupted after Maldivian ministers made derogatory comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi post his visit to Lakshadweep islands. The three ministers were sacked and the Maldivian Opposition criticised the comments, but the President said “we may be small but no one has the license to bully us”.

“Workable Solution”

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju visited the Maldives in November and met the current President. Sources in the Indian Government told NDTV earlier that the two sides agreed to a “workable solution” to continue the use of Indian military platforms by the island nation as they serve the interests of its people.

These personnel operate India-sponsored radars and surveillance aircraft. Indian warships in the region help patrol the country’s exclusive economic zone. Despite its small size, the Maldives plays a significant role in regional politics, particularly due to the strategic maritime passages in its northern and southern parts, making it a key toll gate in the Indian Ocean.

President Muizzu earlier acknowledged the significant role of two Indian helicopters, the Dhruv, in numerous emergency medical evacuations. This small group of Indian soldiers have been stationed in the Maldives for several years now. 

Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs had said India’s cooperation with Maldives is based on jointly addressing shared challenges and priorities. 

India’s assistance and platforms have contributed significantly to public welfare, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and in combating illegal maritime activities in the island nation, the ministry said.  

No Sudden Shift

The shift from Ibrahim Solih’s (President before Muizzu) “India First” policy to “India Out” is not sudden. Ibrahim Solih’s predecessor, Abdullah Yameen, is said to be the first Maldivian leader who started the campaign against India in 2013 and brought the island nation’s ties closer to China. His successor Ibrahim Solih maintained friendly ties with India during his tenure from 2018 to 2023. The role of social media and Maldives’ Dhiyares News is considered significant in crafting the narrative against India during Abdullah Yameen’s term.

Abdulla Yameen was barred from contesting the election because of a criminal conviction and an 11-year jail term for corruption, he nominated Muizzu. 

Muizzu earlier said he did not intend to upend the regional balance by replacing the Indian military with Chinese troops. The Maldives President is trying to strike a fine balance in its ties with India and China. Beijing has economic interests in Maldives and is its largest external creditor, but China’s debt trap policy raises concerns that the island nation may fall prey to the policy.

Former Union Minister Milind Deora — who resigned from the Congress and joined the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde — slammed Congress left right and centre today. The 47-year-old, who initially did not attribute any reason for ending his family’s five-decade association with the Congress, started his criticism of the Grand Old Party shortly after.

Sitting at the country’s financial capital, Mr Shinde at his side, Mr Deora — whose father was party veteran Murli Deora — said: “It is sad that there is a lot of difference between the Congress my father joined in 1968 and the one I joined in 2004. Had the Congress and the UBT focussed on constructive issues and suggestions, and merit and ability, then Mr Shinde and I would not be here today.”

Then he added, “The same party that ushered in economic reforms 30 years ago, is a party that is abusing industrialists, businessmen and calling businessmen ‘anti-nationals'”.

“The same party that used to offer suggestions on how to take the country forward, today the same party is only focussed on opposing what Prime Minister Narendra Modi says or does,” remarked the former MP, who had initially said he changed sides to ensure that he could “walk the path of development”.

Mr Deora, who for long had been counted among the disgruntled section of the Congress, took the plunge today after Shiv Sena UBT — the faction led by Uddhav Thackeray — laid claim to his stronghold, the Mumbai South seat.

He wanted the seat to remain with the Congress, despite his defeat to Sena’s Arvind Sawant in the last two general elections.

“You all know my politics have been progressive and secular. Everyone knows that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde works among public. I have to strengthen his hand,” he added.

The Congress claimed Milind Deora’s move was timed to steal away attention from Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra, which started from Manipur today.

Han So-hee who was recently seen alongside Park Seo-joon in the mystery thriller series Gyeongseong Creature has recently revealed why she chose to act instead of studying abroad.

While appearing in on PD Nah Yung-suk’s YouTube channel, Han So-hee shared her experience, explaining that to secure a study visa for Paris, she needed to demonstrate a bank balance of 60 million KRW due to immigration regulations. Facing a financial shortfall, she took on part-time jobs, earning 1.8 million KRW for a 12-hour pub shift, but found modelling for Musinsa more lucrative, paying 3 million KRW for a 2-hour session. A Ritz crackers commercial later boosted her account by 20 million KRW after taxes, and without an agency, the entire amount was hers. With this windfall, she planned to film three more commercials before pursuing her studies in Paris.

She further added, “But I ended up where I am now. After seeing the commercial our agency’s CEO offered me to debut as an actress.”