JP joins Adhaalath in condemning 'India Out’ campaign

Jumhoory Party (JP) has joined government coalition partner Adhaalath Party (AP) in condemning the ‘India Out’ campaign headed by former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom to protest against Indian military presence in Maldives. 

In a statement on Sunday afternoon, JP said that it has never supported anything which may damage Maldives’ independence and sovereignty. 

JP said that given the Parliament has not approved for any part of Maldives to be given for military purposes of a foreign country, it found the opposition’s allegations on Indian military presence in Maldives lacked any legal basis. 

JP said it believes short-term visits by military personnel between Maldives and India for training exercises to be mutually beneficial, and that such military cooperation was internally accepted and practiced. 

The party accused the opposition of having a political agenda behind its campaign. 

“Describing the activities on unarmed foreign military personnel as a military activity is something opposition parties often do for political purposes. There’s therefore ample ground to believe the campaign under the slogan ‘India Military Out’ is undertaken by the opposition in order to fulfil a specific political objective,” said JP. 

JP said that Maldives had few natural resources and relied heavily on foreign imports, and believes peaceful relations with the international community to be the best and easiest path to ensuring peace and security in Maldives. 

The party said that the campaign could cause Maldives long-term harm, and found it unacceptable. 

JP’s statement condemning the campaign comes a day after AP issued a similar statement.