AGL 40.00 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
AIRLINK 129.06 Decreased By ▼ -0.47 (-0.36%)
BOP 6.75 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (1.05%)
CNERGY 4.49 Decreased By ▼ -0.14 (-3.02%)
DCL 8.55 Decreased By ▼ -0.39 (-4.36%)
DFML 40.82 Decreased By ▼ -0.87 (-2.09%)
DGKC 80.96 Decreased By ▼ -2.81 (-3.35%)
FCCL 32.77 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
FFBL 74.43 Decreased By ▼ -1.04 (-1.38%)
FFL 11.74 Increased By ▲ 0.27 (2.35%)
HUBC 109.58 Decreased By ▼ -0.97 (-0.88%)
HUMNL 13.75 Decreased By ▼ -0.81 (-5.56%)
KEL 5.31 Decreased By ▼ -0.08 (-1.48%)
KOSM 7.72 Decreased By ▼ -0.68 (-8.1%)
MLCF 38.60 Decreased By ▼ -1.19 (-2.99%)
NBP 63.51 Increased By ▲ 3.22 (5.34%)
OGDC 194.69 Decreased By ▼ -4.97 (-2.49%)
PAEL 25.71 Decreased By ▼ -0.94 (-3.53%)
PIBTL 7.39 Decreased By ▼ -0.27 (-3.52%)
PPL 155.45 Decreased By ▼ -2.47 (-1.56%)
PRL 25.79 Decreased By ▼ -0.94 (-3.52%)
PTC 17.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.96 (-5.2%)
SEARL 78.65 Decreased By ▼ -3.79 (-4.6%)
TELE 7.86 Decreased By ▼ -0.45 (-5.42%)
TOMCL 33.73 Decreased By ▼ -0.78 (-2.26%)
TPLP 8.40 Decreased By ▼ -0.66 (-7.28%)
TREET 16.27 Decreased By ▼ -1.20 (-6.87%)
TRG 58.22 Decreased By ▼ -3.10 (-5.06%)
UNITY 27.49 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (0.22%)
WTL 1.39 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.72%)
BR100 10,445 Increased By 38.5 (0.37%)
BR30 31,189 Decreased By -523.9 (-1.65%)
KSE100 97,798 Increased By 469.8 (0.48%)
KSE30 30,481 Increased By 288.3 (0.95%)

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.