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Former President of Maldives, Mohammed Nasheed has sought Indian military intervention in crisis-ridden Maldives.

Details

• Exiled former President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed has sought Indian military intervention to release jailed dissidents in the capital.
• The current incumbent, President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency in the Maldives, after defying a recent Supreme Court ruling that ordered the release of nine opposition leaders,​including Mr. Nasheed, and the reinstatement of 12 expelled MPs.
• Nasheed has requested India to send an envoy, backed by its military, to release judges & political detainees including former president Maumoom Abdul Gayoom, who also happens to be the current president’s half brother. Mr. Gayoom is said to have sided with the opposition.
• He has also requested the US to stop all financial transactions of Maldives regime leaders going through US banks.
• The Opposition alliance on Monday signed a resolution urging international actors to pressure the Yameen administration to comply with the order. ​
• The current state of emergency is said to hamper normal life and the citizens’ fundamental rights.
• India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that India was disturbed by the declaration of a State of Emergency in the Maldives following the refusal of the Maldivian government to abide by the unanimous ruling of the full bench of the Supreme Court on 1 February. The MEA said that the arrest of the Supreme Court Chief Justice and political figures are reasons for concern, and that the government is carefully monitoring the situation.

About the political crisis in Maldives

• The Maldives government on Monday declared a state of emergency for 15 days, before heavily armed troops stormed the country's supreme court and former President Maumoom Abdul Gayoom was arrested amid a spiraling political crisis that followed a surprise Supreme Court ruling last week.
• The Supreme Court ordered the immediate release of nine Opposition leaders, including exiled former President Mohamed Nasheed. The court also ordered that 12 MPs, expelled earlier, be reinstated. Emergency rule gives security officials extra powers to arrest dissidents, according to sources.
• Less than an hour after Mr. Yameen declared the state of emergency, troops stormed the Supreme Court premises, arresting judges.
• This is the second time Mr. Yameen has declared a state of emergency. He last took the step in November 2015 after an alleged attempt to assassinate him.
• Meanwhile, the opposition in Maldives has appealed to the global community for help.
• The government has come under criticism worldwide for its refusal to obey the court order.

Source

The Hindu