New Delhi: After Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen snubbed India by recommending his Parliament that the emergency in his tiny archipelago nation be extended by another 30 days, India opposed any extension of emergency, saying it is its “expectation that the government of Maldives will not be seeking extension of the state of emergency so that the political process in Maldives can resume with immediate effect”.
While the Maldives issued a statement on Tues-day that “the Parliamentary Standing Committee on National Security on Monday voted to extend the state of emergency by 30 days easing constitutional restrictions”, Indian government sources said in New Delhi that the Maldivian Majlis (Parliament) would take a decision on the issue on Tuesday. India also insisted that the Maldives government should implement the order issued by the Maldivian Supreme Court February 1. President Yameen had refused to obey that verdict of the apex court there on the release of political prisoners.
New Delhi added on Tuesday that “after the revocation of the Emergency, democratic institutions, including the judiciary, should be allowed to function independently and in a fair and transparent manner in accordance with the Constitution”.
It added that “the order issued by the Supreme Court of Maldives on February 1, 2018, should be implemented in letter and spirit”. India also said “it is important that Maldives quickly returns to the path of democracy and the rule of law so that the aspirations of Maldivian people are met and the concerns of the international community are assuaged.”
Continuing his defiance of India, Mr Yameen earlier on Monday had appr-oached his Parliament seeking to extend the emergency in his nation by 30 days on the grounds that “the threat to national security has not diminished, and the constitutional crisis has not been resolved”.
The Maldivian President had imposed emergency in his tiny archipelago nation for 15 days on February 5.
In a statement issued from Male, the Maldives on Tuesday said, “The Parliamentary Standing Committee on National Security yesterday voted to extend the state of emergency by thirty days easing constitutional restrictions. The extension was submitted by the request of the President due to the present threat to national security and the constitutional crisis posed by the events leading up to and following the ruling issued by the Supreme Court on February 1, 2018...”
