Emergency motion submitted on discrepancies in the number of Indian soldiers

Following President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s announcement that the Indian government has agreed to withdraw the Indian troops based in the Maldives during a meeting between President Muizzu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of COP28 – an emergency motion has been submitted to the parliament, calling to disclose if an agreement, if made, concerning the withdrawal of the troops.

MDP’s Baarah MP Ahmed Abdulla submitted the emergency motion during the parliamentary sitting held on Wednesday morning.

In his motion, MP Ahmed Abdulla said if an agreement has been executed regarding the withdrawal of the Indian troops, it should be disclosed to the public.

In this trajectory, the emergency motion called to disclose an agreement, if made.

The emergency motion also called to disclose all agreements executed previously which President Muizzu alleged to have been executed in a manner that threatens the security and sovereignty of the Maldives.

The emergency motion was accepted by the parliament with the votes of 33 members out of 36 members who participated in the vote. Only three members had voted to reject the motion.

Speaking after presenting his motion, MP Ahmed Abdulla, underscoring different officials have identified different numbers as the number of Indian soldiers based in the Maldives, called to clarify the exact number to the public.

“How many Indian soldiers are here in the Maldives on military visas, where their weapons have been stored, which Maldivian island or region are the armed soldiers based at; none of that information has been shared with the public,” he said.

The current administration initially said there were 77 Indian soldiers based in the Maldives, citing their findings during the transitional phase.

However, during a press conference held on Tuesday, President Muizzu said the number of Indian soldiers has now risen to 89, adding there was a chance of the number increasing even further.

In an earlier press conference held upon his immediate return to Maldives from Dubai after attending COP28 – President Muizzu revealed that the Indian government had agreed to withdraw Indian troops from the Maldives.

The removal of Indian soldiers from the Maldives is one of the major electoral pledges of President Muizzu. Although India has agreed to withdraw its troops, the government has yet to disclose a specific date for the withdrawal.

While over 100 bilateral agreements have been executed with India by the former administration – the current administration is also undertaking efforts to review these agreements.