Ousted president Mohamed Nasheed, 44, was talking to his core group of advisers at his ancestral home ‘Keenerege’ in Male when the news of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s letter of support to new President Waheed Hassan Manik, 59, came in, writes Gaurav C Sawant, for Headlines Today.
A shocked Nasheed, or Anni as he is known to friends, could not speak for several minutes. Those in the room say there were tears in his eyes. “He felt he had been let down by a friend,” said Ameen Faisal, Nasheed’s close friend and the country’s national security adviser before the alleged coup.
Nasheed had stepped out of his home on February 8 to address his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) workers when the ‘notorious’ Star Force crackdown began. The former president took refuge in a hardware store but they were found and taken into custody. Nasheed, who was the first democratically elected president of Maldives, says he was ousted in a military-backed coup and that Waheed, the vice-president, was involved.
Faisal, who was high commissioner to India-designate till the alleged coup on February 7, says India has made a strategic blunder in the Indian Ocean Region. “I was the defence minister of Maldives. I know how both China and Pakistan are desperately trying to make inroads here. We are India’s natural allies. Yet instead of supporting the first democratically elected president, India put its weight behind forces that want to make Maldives the Pakistan of the Indian Ocean,” Faisal insists.
Nasheed, too, expressed his disappointment with India’s response. “India’s stand is misguided and ill-informed. I hope they will consider a course correction,” he told India Today. Nasheed feels New Delhi is taking him for granted and India may lose its influence to China, Faisal added.
China is desperately pushing its economic diplomacy. “The Maldivian National Defence Force was keen to renew its defence agreement with Beijing. Twice they came to me when I was president. I refused,” Nasheed said.
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India is not stupid like MDP thugs and India is not a puppet of MDP. Thats the message they have given you. Don't you small heads still get it.
The original article has the headline 'HAS INDIA LET THE MALDIVES DOWN?'... as Nasheed says with tears in his eyes...kasauti zindagi ki...keke
India has done what is right. Anni doesnt deserve support from India.
Dhen la la laa...
The people of Maldives will have their way, no matter what the powerful in India say.
Stop Crying Foul Mr. Nasheed. You resigned. Cant you wait for the 2013 elections. If you have the public support you'll win right? Why is Mr. Nasheed Flapping like a headless chicken. Stop lying to get foreign media's interest and get your act together, Pull yourself together man, grrr its frustrating... is it too much to ask, join the Unity Government to Show people you care too...stop having corrupt cronies like Reeko, Zaki and Maria, reform the party with the few respectable people left.. MDP still has a chance.. no?
india has to banns from maldives