Ex-president Nasheed’s tirade against own party Worries Male, Delhi

Former Maldives president and current speaker of parliament Mohamed Nasheed’s recent statements against senior ministers of his government following the terror attack on him has not only surprised many in the island nation and in India but is also keeping everyone guessing about his next moves.India is worried that any attempt by Nasheed to undermine his own party including President Ibu Solih may usher in chaos and instability in the Indian Ocean Region archipelago, persons familiar with the development said.The fear is that lingering instability in the government could be exploited by the pro-China opposition. That could emerge as a headache for India, which is currently constructing two airports and a port in Maldives besides a host of other infrastructure projects.

China desires to revive the ground it lost in Maldives after the 2018 elections that ousted Abdulla Yameen from power, claimed one of the persons quoted above.Stability in Maldives is imperative for India’s pre-eminent role in the Indo-Pacific region amid Beijing’s growing outreach.Nasheed’s remarks have drawn a sharp reaction from his close friend President Solih who recently said Nasheed will be well aware that the government would not impede the parliamentary inquiry into the May 6 terror attack that targeted the speaker.The president’s statement comes after Nasheed recently implied that Solih was behind Maldives National Defence Force’s refusal to summon individual army officers for questioning regarding the security breach surrounding the attack.In a message sent to ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) via the party’s chairperson Hassan Latheef, Nasheed said he does not understand why the president was impeding the inquiry, and that he does not know what the president was trying to conceal.Speaking to reporters at a press conference broadcast live on Tuesday from the president’s office, Solih said the parliament committee’s chair has assured that the inquiry was progressing smoothly. The chair had also assured that there was no influence on the inquiry from either the government or the president himself.He said the decision against allowing individual army officers to be questioned by the parliament was in line with the laws pertaining to Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).