New Delhi: The exiled ex-President of Maldives Mohammad Nasheed has said that India ‘were not occupiers but liberators’ in a clear rebuff to China’s comments that India has a strong desire to control South Asia.
Nasheed, in a tweet said, “Saying ‘resolve things internally’ is akin to asking us to escalate the revolt, which can lead to chaos. Maldivians see India’s role positively: in ’88 they came, resolved the crisis, and left. They were not occupiers but liberators. This is why Maldivians look to India now.”
On Tuesday, Nasheed, who lives in self-exile in Britain, had asked India to intervene militarily to help resolve the burgeoning crisis in his archipelago nation which is under a state of Emergency clamped by President Abdulla Yameen.
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“On behalf of Maldivian people we humbly request: 1. India to send envoy, backed by its military, to release judges and political detainees including President Gayoom. We request a physical presence. 2. The US to stop all financial transactions of Maldives regime leaders going through US banks,” he had tweeted on Tuesday.
India had in a strong statement said that it is “disturbed” by the situation in the Maldives where the Supreme Court Chief Justice and another senior judge has been jailed and emergency clamped. Yameen clamped emergency days after the apex court in a ruling last Thursday ordered the release of nine political prisoners, including Nasheed, and the reinstatement of 12 legislators who were unseated for defecting from the ruling party and annulled the apex court’s previous ban on floor-crossing.
In more tweets on Wednesday, Nasheed said: “President Gayoom and the Judges must be released immediately. I am told President Gayoom is not taking food, while (jailed Supreme Court) Justice Ali Hameed has been ill treated.”
He said “Hon Qasim’s son, Ibrahim, has been arrested. This is clearly politically motivated. This disgraceful, illegal arrest must be reversed and he must be immediately freed,” Nasheed posted.
