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Indian forces ready for any contingency in Maldives

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Indian forces ready for any contingency in Maldives

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]However, New Delhi will not send boots on the ground

India’s armed forces are ready to take on responsibility for any contingency in its southern neighbor Maldives, where uncertainty is hovering after President Abdulla Yameen forces arrested two Supreme Court judges and a former President after declaring state of emergency late on Monday night.

According to sources in New Delhi, the armed forces, which keep close eye on “developments in the entire neighborhood”, were “prepared for any eventuality” and “deployment at short notice”. However New Delhi does not seem to be inclined to send its army for intervention.

Earlier, responding to Maldivian former President Mohamed Nasheed’s Tuesday evening request for sending “envoy and troops”, India had expressed “concern” saying it was “disturbed” by the “state of emergency” imposed by President Abdulla Yameen. However, official sources told that while the government is mapping out its next steps, “sending Indian troops to the island nation is not an option”.

On Tuesday, Sri Lanka based Maldivian Democratic Party opposition leader and former President Nasheed tweeted a “humble” request to India “to send an envoy, backed by its military, to release judged and political detainees”.

According to a leading daily, sources in New Delhi said, “They want us to send warships and put boots on the ground, but we don’t want to be drawn into sending the military to sort out a political mess there.”

For now, even just sending a special envoy was out of the question as there was no guarantee that Yameen would engage with such a representative. Instead, sources in the capital said that India is hoping to work together with a group of countries, including the US and Saudi Arabia, to bring pressure on the Yameen government through “sanctions”, if needed.

As a regional power, India maintains a couple of its naval warships on patrol on the western seaboard, which can be diverted to Maldives if required. “India also has some defense personnel in Maldives due to defense cooperation; our warships, aircraft and copters often patrol its exclusive economic zone,” a source said.

Certain number of troops, warships and aircraft are always kept ready to swiftly render humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to other countries in the region.

Moreover, Indian Air Force is well equipped with rugged C-130J “Super Hercules” and C-17 Globemaster-III, which can swiftly airlift heavy loads and combat ready troops.

Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj is currently travelling to Saudi Arabia. India was invited as Guest of Honour at janadriyah cultural festival where India is showcasing its social, economic and cultural aspects in specifically designed pavilion in Riyadh. She is meeting Saudi leadership to discuss bilateral, regional and international issues.

On Monday, Maldives crisis was deepened when President Abdulla refused to comply with the Supreme Court orders to release opposition leaders. Parliament was sealed while two opposition lawmakers were detained.

Late on Monday night President Abdulla Yameen office declared state of emergency for 15 days. Two Supreme Court judges, including the Chief Justice, and former President Maumoon Abdul Ghayoom were detained during the night.

Indian forces ready for any contingency in Maldives

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to travel to three Middle Eastern countries between February 9 and 12 that will take him to Palestine, UAE and Oman. UAE is a close ally of Saudi Arabia.

On Tuesday, several countries including India and China issued travel advisories to their citizens for avoiding unnecessary travel to Maldives which may hit its tourism industry. Other steps which are actively being considered include placing travel “sanction” against the members of the Yameen government.

President Abdulla Yameen, who assumed office in November 2013, imposed state of emergency on Monday defying a Supreme Court ruling quashing convictions of former President Mohamed Nasheed and eight other opposition figures ranging from terrorism to corruption and ordered to release  them on the ground that the cases against them were politically tainted. Opposition allege that 2013 elections were rigged and claims that opposition leaders were jailed to curb the right to freedom of speech.

Mohamed Nasheed became first democratically elected president in 2009, who was forced to resign amid a mutiny by police in 2012. After losing the election to incumbent president Abdulla Yameen the following year, Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2015 on charges that are alleged to have been concocted by Yameen’s government.

However, in 2016, Nasheed was allowed to leave jail to seek medical treatment abroad. He was granted asylum by Britain in 2016. On Monday, when Supreme Court ordered for the release of the opposition leaders, Nasheed was in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He is willing to contest presidential election due later this year. Immediately after Yameen declared a 15-day emergency late on Monday night, Nasheed called on India to intervene.

During his presidency, Nasheed had drawn world attention to the Maldives by conducting an underwater cabinet meeting, with the ministers wearing scuba diving suits, to highlight the dangers posed by global warming to low-lying island nations like his own.

Present crisis was triggered immediately after Supreme Court quashed the convictions against Mohamed Nasheed and eight other opposition leaders. The apex court ordered the release of those in detention and instructed for fresh trials in the court.

On Wednesday, Mohamed Nasheed, former President, while in Colombo, informed his follower about the arrest of Qasim Ibrahim, a business magnet, philanthropist and politician. Qasim is also founder of Jumhoori Party as well as Villa Shipping and Trading Company.[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]More importantly, the Supreme Court also ordered the reinstatement of 12 lawmakers who had been stripped of their parliamentary seats by Yameen’s party for defecting last year. The Supreme Court said that their removal was unconstitutional.

President Abdulla Yameen seems to be concerned that implementation of SC order will bring down his government as his party will lose its majority in the 85 member assembly. Should opposition achieve mathematical supremacy in the house, it would be able to remove the speaker from the ruling party and pass no-confidence motion against government officials.

While declaring emergency, President Yameen’s office said that Supreme Court had “disrupted functions of the executive and infringed national security and public interest”. It also said that constitution could eventually be undermined if the court order was implemented.  Yameen said he had acted to prevent a coup and alleged the judges had sided with his opponents who were under investigation for corruption.

The United States, EU and India have urged Yameen to heed the court decision, but he has disregarded international calls to solve the crisis through dialogue.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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US reiterates its call for fair, transparent, legal process for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, speaks on Congress frozen accounts

The US spokesperson said that they are also aware of the Congress party’s allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections.

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A day after India summoned an US diplomat over their remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case, the US reiterated its call for fair, transparent, timely legal processes on Wednesday.

Responding to questions on India summoning Gloria Berbena, the US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that they will continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Notably, the meeting at the foreign ministry’s South Block office lasted nearly 40 minutes yesterday with India objecting strongly to the US remarks on the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal.

Matthew Miller also responded to a question on the Congress party’s frozen bank accounts. The US spokesperson said that they are also aware of the Congress party’s allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections. He added that the US encourages fair, transparent and timely legal processes for each of the issues.

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested last week by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection to the Delhi liquor policy scam. Earlier, AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and Sanjay Singh were arrested in the same case.

The External Affairs Ministry had earlier stated that states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others, and this responsibility is even more so in case of fellow democracies, adding that it could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents.

The Ministry further emphasized that India’s legal processes are based on an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes. It mentioned that casting aspersions on India’s legal procedure is unwarranted.

The United State’s remarks followed days after Germany’s Foreign Office stressed that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial. The Indian government labelled their remark as blatant interference in internal matters.

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5 Chinese nationals killed in suicide bomb attack in Pakistan

This is the third major attack on Chinese interests in Pakistan within a week.

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Nearly five Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion during an attack on their convoy by a suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday. Reportedly, the suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a convoy of Chinese engineers travelling from Islamabad to their camp in Dasu, situated in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Regional police chief Mohammad Ali Gandapur said that five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack. As yet, none has claimed responsibility for the attack. Bisham Station House Officer (SHO) Bakht Zahir asserted that the incident was a suicide blast and the authorities concerned were collecting the evidence.

The Station House Officer further added that security arrangements were tightened at the spot and the bodies were being shifted to a hospital. He added that they will investigate from where and how the vehicle of a suicide bomber came and how it happened. Notably, this is the third major attack on Chinese interests in Pakistan within a week.

Previously, two attacks hit an airbase and a strategic port in the southwest province of Balochistan where China is investing billions in infrastructure projects. Several Chinese engineers and Pakistani construction workers have for multiple years been working on hydroelectric projects as part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative in the western province of Khyber-Paktunkhwa.

Notably, Dasu is home to a significant dam project, has been a target of previous attacks. Earlier in 2021, the attack in Dasu resulted in the deaths of nine Chinese nationals, along with two Pakistani children. The incident occured when a bus carrying Chinese engineers and workers to the Dasu Hydropower Project site was targeted.

There was confusion surrounding the nature of the attack initially, with some reports suggesting it was a bus accident. Nonetheless, subsequent investigations revealed that it was indeed a terrorist attack. The bus was hit by a blast, leading it to plunge into a ravine.

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US bridge collapses after being hit by ship

The rescuers were searching for at least 7 people in the water. Some reports said upto 20 construction workers were there on the Baltimore Bridge at the time of the incident. A video of the incident which was widely shared on social media showed the moment the 3 km long bridge collapsed.

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Major portions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, US collapsed on early Tuesday morning after it was hit by a large container ship. The incident occurred at nearly 1.30 am (US local time). The Baltimore City Fire department said the collapse is a mass casualty incident.

According to reports many vehicles fell into the river below. The rescuers were searching for at least 7 people in the water. Some reports said upto 20 construction workers were there on the Baltimore Bridge at the time of the incident. A video of the incident which was widely shared on social media showed the moment the 3 km long bridge collapsed.

It seems the vessel had hit one of the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the roadway to break apart in many places and plunge into the water. The ship caught fire and appeared to sink. Grace Ocean Pte Ltd, the registered owner of the ship, and the manager, Synergy Marine Group, said it is a Singapore flagged ship Dali which collided with a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland.

He said the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined; the Dali has now mobilized its qualified individual Incident response service. It added that all crew members, including the 2 pilots who were aboard, have been accounted for and there are no reports of injuries.

The local traffic police said all lanes on both directions of the bridge have been closed and the traffic is being de-toured. Maryland Governor Wes Moore also declared a state of emergency after the collapse of the bridge. The bridge was opened in 1977, spans the Patapsco River, a vital artery that along with the Port of Baltimore is a hub for shipping on the East Coast. It is named after the writer of the Star Spangled Banner.  

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