Maldives’ former minister of foreign affairs, Abdulla Shahid, slammed the Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu for his ‘India Out’ narrative related to “thousands of Indian troops” told to exit the island nation before March 10. In a post on the social media, Shahid derided Muizzu saying that the government has no idea about the exact figures of the foreign troops stationed within the country. The ex foreign minister of Maldives called the claims made by Muizzu as “string of lies,” and added that there were, in fact, no armed forces of any foreign nation stationed in Maldives.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the newly elected president of the Maldivian Democratic Party said, "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 current administration's inability to provide specific numbers speaks volumes. There are no armed foreign soldiers stationed in the country.”

‘Truth must prevail’

Shahid asserted that “truth must prevail” and that the transparency matters. "Transparency matters, and the truth must prevail,” the former foreign minister of Maldives said. Muizzu led administration has launched a campaign to remove the Indian soldiers from Maldives. As many as 70 Indian troops, along with Dornier 228 maritime patrol aircraft and two HAL Dhruv helicopters, have a presence on the island nation for trainings in  combat, reconnaissance, and rescue-aid operations and are not involved in any active military operation.

As Muizzu seeks to strengthen Chinese influence on the archipelago, he asked the Indian personnel to withdraw, prompting backlash from own lawmakers. “Indian military personnel cannot stay in the Maldives. This is the policy of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and that of this administration,” Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, the public policy secretary at the President’s Office, wrote in a statement. Both India and Maldives set up a high-level core group to foster discussions on the withdrawal of the troops. In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs said that India will replace the military personnel on the aviation platforms with technicians personnel.