Opposition Leader in the Maldives urges President Muizzu to apologize to PM Modi and the People of India

The leader of the Maldives Jumhooree Party (JP), Qasim Ibrahim, has urged President Mohammed Muizzu to formally apologize to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of India, according to the Maldivian digital news outlet Voice of Maldives.

Qasim Ibrahim emphasized the importance of maintaining diplomatic relations with neighboring countries and highlighted the obligation to the state. He mentioned President Solih’s Presidential Decree, which banned the “India Out” campaign, and advised against nullifying it, as doing so would be detrimental to the nation.

Qasim Ibrahim also called on President Muizzu to apologize formally to the Indian government and Prime Minister Modi for his remarks after the China trip. Last year, President Solih signed a decree labeling the opposition’s ‘India Out’ campaign as a “threat to national security,” allowing security agencies to remove campaign banners and take action against opposition parties.

The ‘India Out’ campaign, led by former President Abdulla Yameen, propagated the unproven claim that Indian military officers in the Maldives violated the country’s sovereignty. The campaign targeted President Solih and the Maldivian Democratic Party, seen as close to India. President Solih condemned derogatory remarks by some junior ministers, leading to a diplomatic standoff.

On January 14, India and the Maldives agreed to expedite the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the island nation. President Muizzu, who requested the withdrawal on his second day in office, made it a key campaign promise. A controversy also arose over disparaging remarks made by a Maldivian deputy minister and government officials regarding Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep.

The Maldives government distanced itself from those remarks.