The assertions made by Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu about “thousands of Indian military personnel” were refuted on Saturday by Abdulla Shahid, the former minister of foreign affairs for the Maldives. He added that there are no foreign soldiers with guns stationed in the nation.

“100 days in, it’s clear: President Muizzu’s claims of ‘thousands of Indian military personnel’ were just another in a string of lies,” the newly elected president of the Maldivian Democratic Party stated in a post on social networking platform X. The incapacity of the current administration to offer precise figures says volumes. There aren’t any foreign soldiers with weapons stationed here.”

He also emphasised the importance of openness and the need for the truth to win out.

“Transparency matters, and the truth must prevail,” he said.

Notably, Muizzu’s party’s primary campaign involved the withdrawal of Indian troops from the Maldives. There are currently about 70 Indian soldiers in the Maldives, as well as two HAL Dhruv helicopters and two Dornier 228 maritime patrol planes.

Muizzu formally asked the Indian government to remove its military soldiers from the Maldives on his second day in office.

Muizzu asserted in December of last year that an agreement to remove Indian military soldiers had been reached following discussions with the Indian administration.

Additionally, the president announced that diplomatic talks to remove Indian troops were in progress. He explained that military personnel on one of the three aviation platforms will be removed by March 10, 2024, as per the terms of the most recent discussions, while military personnel on the other two platforms would be removed before May 10, 2024.

The Ministry of External Affairs announced earlier this month that India will substitute qualified Indian technical staff for military personnel stationed at aviation installations in the Maldives.