Sushma Swaraj had Raised Nasheed's Case With Maldives President
NEW DELHI: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had raised the matter of the jailed former president Mohamed Nasheed with Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen on Sunday.
A day after Swaraj returned to Delhi from her two-day trip to Male, MEA sources confirmed to Express that the Indian foreign minister did bring up Nasheed’s continued incarceration at her meeting with President Yameen on Sunday morning.
The statement released by the ministry at the end of the visit on Sunday had no mention about the case of the former President.
Similarly, a press release issued by Maldives president’s office also did not explicitly mention this topic. However, it said that President stated that “his government will not tolerate foreign parties to interfere with the country’s domestic issues and underscored that a country’s integrity and national sovereignty must be respected by all”.
According to MEA sources, this reference to “foreign parties” was not directed at India or External affairs minister. Instead, it was in context of the regular statements issued by “big powers” like United States, United Kingdom and world bodies like Commonwealth and United Nations about the former president and rule of law, claimed Indian officials.
India has still not reacted publicly to the ruling of the United Nations Working Group of Arbitrary Detention which said that the former President had not received a fair trial when he was convicted for 13 years on charges of terrorism. Maldives government has refused to accept this ruling.
New Delhi’s reference to Nasheed has been noticeably subdued since a statement which took note of his “manhandling” at the time of his first court appearance in March. The massive street demonstrations and Nasheed’s imprisonment was one of the reason for Modi to drop Maldives from his Indian Ocean sojourn
Thereafter, in UNHRC in May, India had talked of press freedom being abridged, judiciary being politicized and need for space for political dissent.
In the meantime, Nasheed who had been allowed to go on house arrest was asked to return to prison – which has again ignited street protests by the largest opposition party, Maldivian Democratic Party.
It took five months and the visit of Swaraj for India to speak about Nasheed. “We expect this issue to be handled in accordance with laws and rules of Maldives, and hope that the outcome will be seen by everybody as being fair and just. I think that is the most important thing. The outcome has to be seen to be free and fair,” MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said on Oct 9.
Incidentally, Swaraj also met with MDP’s parliamentary group leader Ibrahim Solih, who had been leading the negotiations with the Maldives government.
Ties between Maldives government and India have improved after they had nose-dived in July over Indian angers at the seemingly rushed constitutional amendment which allows foreigners to own land for the first time.
The fear about the Chinese having a permanent presence in Indian Ocean through this law had led to a summoning of the Maldives ambassador to India Ahmed Mohamed to South Block.
After a letter in August from Maldives president to Prime Minister that Indian Ocean will not be militarized, there has been a conscious effort to bring more warmth into the relationship.
Swaraj’s visit, therefore, was an essential step in bring back ties on an even keel.