India cancels meeting with Maldives’ President’s special envoy, citing scheduling issues

A scheduled visit to India by the Maldives’ Foreign Minister Dr Mohamed Asim on Thursday was cancelled by the Modi government as the dates weren’t “suitable” for the Indian leadership, the Maldives has said.

“A section of the Indian media has brought out news items stating that the Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Maldives has bypassed India. This is far from (the) truth,” a press release by the Maldives Embassy in New Delhi said on Thursday.

In a tweet, senior journalist Suhasini Haidar confirmed the Maldives’ assertion, citing sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) who said that “no advance notice” was given for Asim’s visit.

“The first stop of Special Envoy of the President was India. Foreign Minister Dr Mohamed Asim, the designated special envoy, was scheduled to visit India on Feb 8, 2018, but the visit was cancelled on the request of the Government of India,” the press statement from the Maldives’ Embassy read.

The development comes amid the ongoing political turmoil in the Indian Ocean country, which is witnessing a power struggle between President Abdulla Yameen and the Supreme Court. The Yameen administration has accused the top court of overstepping its mandate and trying to get the President impeached, after a Feb 1 verdict by the top court revoked terrorism charges against nine of Yameen’s opponents, including the island nation’s former President Mohamed Nasheed.

Asim, the special envoy of President Yameen, will be visiting “friendly countries” in the region, including China, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, as part of his government’s outreach program following the Supreme Court ruling.

India has said that it is disturbed by the developments in the Maldives and says it is monitoring the situation on the island closely. A report by PTI this week claimed that Indian troops had been put on “stand-by” in anticipation of further deterioration of the political situation after an appeal by former President Nasheed requested India’s “physical presence” on the ground.

China has warned against a military intervention, saying it could further “complicate the situation.” Beijing has cultivated strong economic and defence ties with President Yameen since he came to power in a disputed vote in 2015, much to India’s unease.