Former Maldives Foreign Minister accuses President Muizzu of shifting toward anti-India stance

Political Friction

Former Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has accused President Mohamed Muizzu of moving the country in an anti-India direction. Mr. Shahid, who is running for the leadership of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party ahead of the 2028 presidential elections, made the remarks during an interview in New Delhi. He claimed that Mr. Muizzu failed to deliver on development promises and will try to revive the 2023 "India Out" campaign to create a hate narrative for the upcoming polls. The Maldives government spokesperson did not reply to a request for a response.

Pakistan Visit

The accusations follow President Muizzu's three-day visit to Islamabad from October 20 to 22, the first by a Maldivian president since 2015. During the trip, Mr. Muizzu and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed 20 memoranda of understanding across areas like defence, maritime security, narcotics control, IT, cybersecurity, and AI, alongside starting direct flights between Male and Islamabad. Mr. Shahid called for transparency and demanded that the government make a statement in Parliament about the agreements. India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that New Delhi is keeping a close watch on these developments.

Context

Maldives foreign policy has frequently shifted between closer ties with India and engagements with other regional partners depending on which political party is in power. The island nation gained independence from British rule in 1965, and India has historically served as an immediate neighbour and development partner for Male.