AGL 38.54 Increased By ▲ 0.97 (2.58%)
AIRLINK 129.50 Decreased By ▼ -3.00 (-2.26%)
BOP 5.61 Decreased By ▼ -0.03 (-0.53%)
CNERGY 3.86 Increased By ▲ 0.09 (2.39%)
DCL 8.73 Decreased By ▼ -0.14 (-1.58%)
DFML 41.76 Increased By ▲ 0.76 (1.85%)
DGKC 88.30 Decreased By ▼ -1.86 (-2.06%)
FCCL 35.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.08 (-0.23%)
FFBL 67.35 Increased By ▲ 0.85 (1.28%)
FFL 10.61 Increased By ▲ 0.46 (4.53%)
HUBC 108.76 Increased By ▲ 2.36 (2.22%)
HUMNL 14.66 Increased By ▲ 1.26 (9.4%)
KEL 4.75 Decreased By ▼ -0.11 (-2.26%)
KOSM 6.95 Increased By ▲ 0.10 (1.46%)
MLCF 41.65 Decreased By ▼ -0.15 (-0.36%)
NBP 59.60 Increased By ▲ 1.02 (1.74%)
OGDC 183.00 Increased By ▲ 1.75 (0.97%)
PAEL 26.25 Increased By ▲ 0.55 (2.14%)
PIBTL 5.97 Increased By ▲ 0.14 (2.4%)
PPL 146.70 Decreased By ▼ -1.70 (-1.15%)
PRL 23.61 Increased By ▲ 0.39 (1.68%)
PTC 16.56 Increased By ▲ 1.32 (8.66%)
SEARL 68.30 Decreased By ▼ -0.49 (-0.71%)
TELE 7.23 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.14%)
TOMCL 35.95 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-0.14%)
TPLP 7.85 Increased By ▲ 0.45 (6.08%)
TREET 14.20 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.28%)
TRG 50.45 Decreased By ▼ -0.40 (-0.79%)
UNITY 26.75 Increased By ▲ 0.35 (1.33%)
WTL 1.21 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
BR100 9,809 Increased By 41.1 (0.42%)
BR30 29,711 Increased By 311.1 (1.06%)
KSE100 92,304 Increased By 366.3 (0.4%)
KSE30 28,840 Increased By 96.6 (0.34%)

MALÉ (Maldives): Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu suspended three deputy ministers on Sunday for making “derogatory remarks” against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government said.

Muizzu, who won September elections on promises that included removing a small contingent of Indian troops operating maritime aircraft from his archipelago, banned the ministers from work pending an investigation.

One deputy minister, Mariyam Shiuna, had called Modi a “clown” following the prime minister’s visit to the Indian territory of Lakshadweep, a cluster of atolls just north of the Maldives.

The three suspended ministers — Malsha Shareef, Abdulla Mahzoon and Shiuna — are all from the youth ministry. They criticised Modi on social media, officials said.

“The government of Maldives is aware of derogatory remarks on social media platforms against foreign leaders and high ranking individuals,” the government said in a statement.

“These opinions are personal and do not represent the views of the government of Maldives.”

A senior administrative official told AFP that Muizzu had suspended the trio and ordered an investigation.

He said Male was concerned about repercussions as Indians were the largest group of foreign visitors to the Maldives, where tourism accounts for almost one-third of the economy.

Modi on January 4 posted on social media praising the “pristine beaches” of India’s Lakshadweep islands, which lie about 130 kilometres (80 miles) north of the Maldives at their closest point.

He posted photographs of himself snorkelling, and suggested the islands should be on the must-visit list of any adventure-seeking tourist.

Known as an expensive holiday destination with secluded resorts, the Maldives has also become a geopolitical hotspot.

Comments

Comments are closed.