India-Maldives Row: Navy Chief R Hari Kumar denies receiving orders to withdraw troops: ‘Delhi has not really…’
Mohamed Muizzu asking India to withdraw troops from the island nation, India's Navy Chief R Hari Kumar has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has not told its defence personnel to pull out from Maldives. India and Maldives are reportedly in talks over the removal of troops from Maldives.
Officials in both Male and Delhi say that 88 Indian soldiers are posted in the archipelago country. There are also 12 medical personnel from the Indian armed forces, reports Reuters.
India has also given Male two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft, which are mostly used for marine surveillance, search and rescue operations and medical evacuations. The two ALH under Maldivian colours, one Dornier aircraft and one OPV have all been grounded During the first meeting of the India and Maldives core group, Maldivian representative Ali Naseer asked Indian High Commissioner to Maldives Munu Mahawar to replace the defence personnel with civilian crew by 15 March.
"We await instructions, whatever is the decision," R Hari Kumar told CNN-News18 when asked about the return of defence personnel from Maldives, adding that New Delhi has "not really" issued any communication to the navy so far. Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's election won last year elections pledging to end his country's “India First".
Mohamed Muizzu's decisions are seen as a pivot away from India to build stronger ties with China in a region where New Delhi and Beijing compete for influence. Soon after taking oath as the President of Maldives on November 17 last year, Mohamed Muizzu, who is regarded as a pro-China leader, formally requested India to withdraw its military personnel from his country, saying the Maldivian people have given him a "strong mandate" to
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