Umar Naseer: Elect me, I will have Indian soldiers removed from Maldives

Former Home Minister Umar Naseer has stated that he would remove Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives if elected as the President.

He had previously expressed his intention of running for president in the upcoming elections.

Speaking at a televised program by ‘CNM’, Umar said that in the first meeting of the National Security Council held back when he was the Home Minister during President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration, it was decided that military equipment donated by India would be returned to the country.

According to Umar, efforts were also made to remove 64 Indian military officers that were based in the Maldives back then through diplomatic channels. He said that the officers were not removed from the Maldives even at Yameen's explicit instruction.

Umar said he would work on removing Indian military personnel from the Maldives the moment he comes to power – even it is tomorrow.

“That is why I am asking you to vote for me. I will remove them,” he said.

He also said that this goal was not achieved in 2018 as PPM, the main opposition party, was solely focused on fighting for Yameen's independence. Umar stated that he believes Indian military personnel could have been removed had all opposition parties worked together back then. 

“The reality is that this is not an easy task. We were only able to end Nasheed’s administration after taking the fight out to the streets. So why can’t we remove Indian military personnel the same way – by going out to the streets? It can be achieved,” he said.

While Umar puts the blame on PPM for not cooperating in the efforts to remove Indian military personnel from the Maldives, the opposition coalition is presently protesting for the cause under the social media campaign, “India Out”.

Meanwhile, the current administration has refused to even disclose the number of Indian military personnel based in the Maldives. Additionally, the Foreign Ministry has also cautioned the media on reporting news that creates hostility towards India.