Amid calls to deepen "close and historic" ties, Maldives opens inquiry into previous govt’s pacts with India

In a move that could further strain India-Maldives relations, the Maldivian Parliamentary Committee has passed a resolution to review three agreements signed by former president Ibrahim Solih’s administration with India, including a pact to develop a naval base.

The development comes on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s oath ceremony, which was attended by Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu.

The proposal to probe the three agreements by Ahmed Azaan, a parliamentarian from Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC) party, was accepted by the parliamentary panel which oversees the activities of the security services on June 10.

“Today, the National Security Services Committee of the parliament has decided to conduct a parliamentary inquiry to investigate actions undertaken by President @ibusolih‘s administration that undermined the sovereignty and independence of the Maldives,” Azaan said in a post on X.

President Muizzu recently attended PM Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi and stated that he was looking forward to deepening "close and historic" ties with India. 

However, the parliamentary committee declared that three agreements signed by Muizzu's predecessor would be reviewed because they purportedly infringed upon Maldives' sovereignty.

The three agreements which will be reviewed are the hydrography agreement between India and the Maldives, the Uthuru Thila Falhu Dockyard project supported by India and the Dornier aircraft gifted by India to the Maldives Defense Forces for humanitarian and search and rescue missions.

A sub-committee comprising four MPs, including Azaan has been set to review these agreements and any other actions of the previous government that jeopardized the sovereignty of the island nation.
The date when the sub-committee would present its findings is not known.

Last year, the Maldives government led by President Muizzu already chose not to renew the hydrographic survey agreement with India, which expired on June 7, 2024.

The hydrographic survey agreement was signed between New Delhi and Male when Modi visited the Maldives in 2019. 

This agreement allowed India to conduct comprehensive surveys of the Maldives’ territorial waters, including its reefs, lagoons, coastlines, ocean currents and tidal levels.

India-Maldives relations have remained strained since Muizzu assumed power in November 2023. Muizzu’s first official visit to India since he took office was particularly significant as he is widely seen as a pro-China leader and his leaning towards China’s geo-political influence triggered concerns in India. 

The Maldivian President had also won the election on the back of the ‘India Out’ campaign. He had also demanded that India withdraw all its military personnel deployed for medical evacuations and other humanitarian services. In May, all 77 Indian military personnel deployed in the island nation were sent back to India.