Mohamed Nasheed's arrest: How India tackled the explosive political situation in Maldives

Colombo: At a time when former President Mohamed Nasheed, the man who brought true democracy to Maldives, is passing through the worst personal and political crisis of his life, his Maldivian Democratic Party has chosen to speak highly of India’s positive role in handling the Maldivian crisis.

The social media is full of messages from Maldivians conveying their anger and desperation over how India has thus far tackled the explosive political situation in Maldives. Many Maldivians have lampooned India for its softpower diplomacy approach and throwing the Indian Ocean to crocodiles. No prizes for guessing which foreign power is being described as a “crocodile”.

Ahmed Naseem, who was the foreign minister of Maldives during Nasheed’s presidency, told this writer in an interview in the Sri Lankan capital that India had done and is still doing quite a lot in resolving the Maldivian political tangle.

Naseem went to the extent of saying that if Nasheed was alive today in prison it was solely because of India’s pro-active diplomacy behind the scenes.

He alleged that several ‘assassination’ bids had been made on Nasheed in jail and in one such instance the former president was asked to eat powdered glass but he did not oblige his captors.

Naseem’s praise for Indian diplomatic efforts comes at a time when an overwhelmingly large number of his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters and activists have been clamouring for a more hands-on response from India.

Obviously the MDP cadres believe that India needs to cut down on its soft diplomacy approach and come out more strongly at the Yameen government. These cadres have had their imagination run riot and believe that there is no other alternative to resolve the present crisis except through a military intervention in India.

But the MDP leaders are more rooted to the ground and know in the heart of their hearts that there is no way that India is going to intervene militarily in Maldives. They are right. This issue has been discussed exhaustively from several angles by this writer in earlier articles on the subject.

Naseem’s valiant defence of India at this juncture is a thoughtful strategy on part of the MDP. The MDP leadership knows full well that if there in one foreign power they can look forward to in helping them in their current crisis is India. Hauling India over coals may be good rhetoric but it will be counter-productive.

Besides, there are a number of delicate issues involved. What is the MDP’s top most priority today? To abuse India for New Delhi’s perceived sins of omission and commission?

Definitely not! Their number one priority right now is to get Nasheed out of jail. Towards this endeavour, the Indian role will be crucial and it does not make any sense in annoying India at this moment as this would amount to playing in th hands of the Yameen government. Naseem’s praise for India needs to be seen against the backdrop of this political compulsion of the MDP.

Besides, this writer understands that hectic, behind-the-scenes diplomacy is at play in Maldives and India is choreographing this difficult bit of diplomacy.

In many ways, Nasheed has done a Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani dictator who attempted to swallow much more than he could chew when the then Pakistani President went after the chief justice of Pakistan’s Supreme Court. Like Musharraf, Nasheed’s problems too have an origin in taking on the judiciary.

The present case against Nasheed in which terror charges have been invoked against him pertains to Nasheed ordering arrest of a judge in 2012.

But the comparison ends as soon as it begins. Musharraf was a military general and had grabbed power through a coup. Nasheed, on the other hand, was the first Maldivian leader to be elected as President in a transparent democractic exercise.

A week has gone by since Nasheed has been sentenced for 13 years in jail. His appeal has already been rejected. The MDP is at its wits’ ends and is apparently running out of options and ways to secure release of its leader.

If the behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts in bringing an amicable closure to the Nasheed saga are to succeed then it is absolutely essential that the MDP does not run about like a headless chicken.

This is precisely what the MDP appears to be doing. It is in this strategic and political context that Naseem’s lavish praise of India needs to be looked at.