With Presidential elections in Maldives scheduled to take place on September 23, its Opposition leaders have increased their trips to India to drum up support and seek help for free and fair polls in the neighbouring country.
Maldives’ former Foreign Minister and leader of Opposition, Ahmed Naseem, who is at present in New Delhi to have discussions with the Indian policy makers and civil society members, said on Monday that India should lead the world to pressurise Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom through targeted sanctions and diplomatic isolation.
“Yameen’s ambassador is trying to work with New Delhi to prevent India from criticising the incumbent Maldives Government’s illegal actions.
It is learnt that they have told India that the country will get its position of high respect once Yameen is re-elected.
But international community led by India should pressurize Yameen to hold free and fair elections.
India has the tools to make things right in Maldives and it should play a proactive role to ensure democracy is restored,” said Naseem during an interaction with select gathering of journalists.
He added that he has been meeting Indian leaders and have got positive response from them.
“Solution to Maldives will come through India's leadership backed by several countries,” said the former FM.
Naseem, the acting president of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), has for the last few months travelling across the world to brief world leaders on the issues in Maldives.
In March he was in Washington to brief the Donald Trump administration. He has already made several trips to India but with the date of elections closing in, the visits to New Delhi have become more frequent. According to Nassem it is in India’s own interest to check Yameen, whom he alleged to be sold out to China.
“Yameen is systematically destroying the democratic setup of Maldives.
Since dictator is easy to seduce, China is using him for land grabbing in the Maldives archipelago.
The Chinese companies have already taken over 16 islands in Maldives. By 2020 nearly 30 to 40 per cent of the Maldives money will go in debt return to China and our country will be a colony of China…Similarly, the Belt Road Initiative of China is not in the interest of Maldives but Yameen has pledged his support to China despite India opposing BRI,” Naseem said.
He added that the rising Islamic extremism backed by the Yameen Government should be another cause of concern for India.
“Being the closest neighbor Maldives should do nothing that can hurt the interests of India. But Yameen Government has done everything to destroy India-Maldives friendship,” the MDP leader said.