Leader of the Parliamentary Group (PG) for the People's National Congress (PNC) Moosa Siraj has stated that the number of Indian troops allegedly stationed in the Maldives remains uncertain due to the previous government withholding and keeping the information confidential from the public.
During a parliamentary debate on the emergency motion concerning Indian troops in the Maldives, introduced by Parliamentarian Ahmed Abdulla to address the delayed disclosure of troop numbers and undisclosed agreements with foreign nations, Siraj stated the ambiguity surrounding the troop count. He stated that members of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) were misleading the public by framing the issue as an emergency matter. Other members aligned with the government also agreed with Siraj's statements, conveying that the government had not safeguarded information about the number of Indian troops, leaving the public uninformed.
MDP members participating in the debate urged the government to publicly disclose the precise number of Indian troops. Subsequently, the government revealed that there are 89 Indian troops stationed in the Maldives. A special committee has also been established to examine undisclosed agreements made with foreign countries.