New Delhi: India's Ambassador to the Maldives, Akhilesh Mishra, was approached by the country's government on Wednesday after one of their top parliamentarians was denied entry into India.
On Tuesday, a top aide of Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen and head of the parliamentary group of the Progressive Party of Maldives, Ahmed Nihan, held a press conference in Male and termed India’s actions ‘bullying’. He claimed that he was denied entry into India due to his political affiliations.
Nihan was in Chennai with Yameen’s sister and brother-in-law, both of whom were allowed to enter. The parliamentarian holds a diplomatic passport and a SAARC visa which gives him access to all SAARC regions.
Reacting to the incident, former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed tweeted that it was no surprise that a country that had arrested its opposition leaders, laundered money etc. was not allowed entry into India.
Confirming the incident, Maldivian ambassador to India Ahmed Mohamed said that MP Nihan was a frequent flyer to Chennai for his medical check-ups. “The recent visit was also to consult the doctor. This is an unfortunate incident,” said Ambassador Mohamed.
The recent incident comes amid deteriorating relations between New Delhi and Male.
Just days earlier, Maldives had asked India to take back its helicopters that were stationed on the island for medical evacuations. India has been concerned about the Yameen government’s alleged closeness to China.
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