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“We Await Instructions”: Indian Navy Chief On Withdrawal Of Troops From Maldives

India’s Navy Chief, R Hari Kumar, stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration has not instructed its defence personnel to leave the Maldives, despite the current diplomatic spat between Maldives and Delhi over Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s request for India to remove its troops from the island nation.

The evacuation of troops from the Maldives is a topic of discussion between India and the Maldives. There are eighty-eight Indian soldiers stationed in the island nation, according to officials in Delhi and Maldives. According to reports, there are also twelve Indian military medics.

Two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft, primarily utilised for maritime surveillance, search and rescue missions, and medical evacuations, have also been given by India to Maldives. Three aircraft have been grounded: one Dornier, one OPV, and two ALH flying under the Maldivian flag.

At the initial gathering of the India-Maldives core group, Maldivian delegates Ali Naseer and Munu Mahawar requested that the Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives swap out the defence personnel for civilian crew members by March 15.

“We await instructions, whatever is the decision,” R Hari Kumar said when asked about the return of defence personnel from Maldives, adding that New Delhi has “not really” issued any communication to the navy so far.

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu was elected last year on a platform of ending “India First” in his nation. The actions of Mohamed Muizzu are perceived as a shift away from India to forge closer relations with China in an area where Beijing and New Delhi compete for influence.

Considered a pro-China leader, Mohamed Muizzu made a formal request to India to remove its military personnel from the Maldives shortly after he took office on November 17, 2018, claiming the Maldivians had given him a “strong mandate” to make this request to New Delhi.

The long-standing relationship between India and the Maldives took a sharp turn when three Maldivian ministers made “derogatory” remarks about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media following a social media outburst. The Maldives government disavowed the ministers’ remarks, but the diplomatic spat had unintended consequences. Mohamed Muizzu, the country’s recently elected pro-China president, led the opposition.

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