New Delhi: Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has asked India to withdraw its 77 unarmed military personnel stationed in his country by 15 March.
Removal of the Indian navy and coast guard personnel from Maldives, deployed there as part of an MoU between the two countries, was the main political plank on which his party, People’s National Congress (PNC), had fought the elections.
His ultimatum comes after he recently concluded a five-day visit to China last week.
Since coming to power in October last year, the Maldivian leader has vowed to remove all Indian military personnel from the country, as part of his ‘India Out’ campaign.
According to the Maldivian government data, there are 77 unarmed Indian military personnel deployed in the country.
But unlike what the Maldivian government portrays, the military personnel are not for any combat duty but are involved in humanitarian missions, capacity-building exercises, and rescue and medical operations.
Male has two Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters and a Dornier aircraft gifted to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) by India.
While the helicopters are used for transport of patients from various islands of the archipelago nation and in helping save over 500 lives, the Dornier conducts frequent passenger flights to India, besides carrying out reconnaissance flights by the Maldivian military against suspicious ships, gun and narcotics trafficking.
Male is one of New Delhi’s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and is significant in its initiatives such as SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the Neighbourhood First Policy’. But, ties between Maldives and New Delhi have been strained ever since President Muizzu came to power last year.
The Indian unarmed troops consist of military engineers, trainers and pilots responsible for operating the aircraft and helicopters. Roughly 50 personnel comprise the pilots and maintenance staff for the two helicopters, 25 more are there for the Dornier.
These personnel are also training MNDF troops as part of a 2016 action plan between New Delhi and Male. Seven MNDF personnel, including pilots, air observers and engineers, are currently being trained to operate the Dornier.
Under then-President Abdulla Yameen Yameen of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Male signed a Comprehensive Action Plan for Defence in 2016 with New Delhi, under which it requested for the UTF (Uthuru Thilafalhu- Island) Harbour Project and a Dornier aircraft.
However, the lease agreements for these helicopters expired in 2018 and the Yameen government conveyed to New Delhi to take them back. After Ibrahim Mohamed Solih came to power in September that year, these demands were nullified.
When India provided the Dornier aircraft in September 2020 as part of its cooperation , Yameen, then an opposition leader, launched the ‘India Out’ campaign along with other leaders and claimed the country was undermining Maldives’ sovereignty.
In the first week of January, a diplomatic row erupted after disparaging comments made by Maldivian ministers against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Maldives government has since suspended “all government officials responsible for the comments”, observing that while the opinions expressed on social media were “personal” and didn’t represent the government’s views.
Defence and security have been a crucial part of cooperation between the two countries over the past few decades. India has also been closely involved with the island nation in the construction of a ship maintenance facility and port in Uthuru Thilafalhu.
This port will act as a maintenance and repair hub and allow the MNDF to strengthen its maritime security capabilities and repair ships and other vessels, which were earlier sent to India and abroad.
In May last year, India also handed over a fast patrol vessel and a landing craft to the MNDF. These assets are being operated by the Maldivian Coast Guard, rather than the Indian troops.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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