Self-exiled former President Mohamed Nasheed has concluded his visit to India.
He left the country early Monday morning, after participating in Indian newspaper The Hindu’s The Huddle 2018. The two-day event was held in Bengaluru, India.
President @MohamedNasheed departs India after participating in thought conclave @_thehuddle organised by @the_hindu #TheHuddle2018 pic.twitter.com/MnTpD9bz6M
— Aya Naseem (@AyaNaseem) February 18, 2018
The former President spoke his thoughts on ‘democracy, human rights, the Maldives crisis and Indian Ocean stability’.
According to The Hindu, Nasheed urged India ‘to act immediately to save Maldives’.
“I am not asking India to send troops to the Maldives to fight. I am asking for an envoy backed by muscle so that President [Abdulla] Yameen would listen to India. I am not even asking for a regime change in that sense. What we are looking for is an interim arrangement that will take us to free and fair election,” Nasheed clarified to The Hindu’s Suhasini Haider; having been criticized on social media a few weeks ago, for calling on India to intervene.
During the trip, Nasheed met with the Indian defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, to brief her on the ‘situation in Maldives’.
Pleasure to meet and brief Indian Minister of Defence H.E @nsitharaman on the situation in the #Maldives. pic.twitter.com/tsj2qIObJs
— Mohamed Nasheed (@MohamedNasheed) February 18, 2018
He also met with Maldivians living in India.
President @MohamedNasheed meeting with students and families living in Bangalore @_thehuddle pic.twitter.com/sASmfi1WT7
— Aya Naseem (@AyaNaseem) February 16, 2018
India has said that it is closely monitoring the situation in Maldives, where a state of emergency has been declared.
