Parliamentarian Mohamed Aslam has stated the India Out campaign led by the opposition is driven by the political agenda of the opposition leaders. He made the statement while speaking to PSM News regarding the report passed by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security Services on the potential risks of the agreements signed between India and the Maldives.
Speaking to PSM News, Parliamentarian Aslam said India has always been one of the closest allies of the Maldives, providing generous assistance to the country in times of need. Aslam also highlighted the large number of Maldivians travelling to India for various different reasons, including medical purposes, while also noting India is currently the largest source market of tourists to the Maldives. Therefore, he said the efforts to create hatred towards India could lead to dire consequences for the country.
Speaking on the parliamentary report on the India-Maldives agreements, Aslam said the parliament committee found no threats to national security or sovereignty from any of the agreements or letters of exchange signed with India. He also denied claims by some opposition parliamentarians that the original defence agreements were not shown during the committee review stage, stating the review process was carried out in a transparent manner. He added any opposition parliamentarian who wish to view the original agreements can still do so after submitting a request to the Ministry of Defence.
Speaking further, Aslam said the India Out campaign led by the opposition is driven by the political agenda of certain opposition leaders. He said there is no evidence that the agreements signed with India threaten the sovereignty and independence of the Maldives.