Khurshid calls Maldivian FM over Nasheed's refuge

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid today spoke to his Maldivian counterpart for the second time in four days to defuse the crisis over former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed, who stayed at the Indian High Commission in Male for the fifth day.

Khurshid, who is on an official two-day visit to Bangladesh, called Maldives Foreign Minister Abdul Samad Abdullah from Dhaka, official sources said in Dhaka. Details of the conversation were not available. On Thursday, Khurshid had called Abdullah and spoke to him for nearly 40 minutes, after which he said the situation involving Nasheed was of an “unusual nature”.

The conversation took place even as Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed said he was “dismayed” that his predecessor sought refuge in the Indian High Commission when summoned to the court.

He accused Nasheed of “instigating” street protests by taking refuge, as he promised a “free, fair and inclusive” multi-party election in the country in September. Waheed said his government would do the utmost to promote democracy in the country.

“I believe it is in the national interest of Maldives to hold a free, fair and inclusive election this year, in which all political parties are allowed to participate, including smaller political parties,” Waheed said in a statement in Male.

Nasheed (45), leader of the Maldivian Democratic Party, took refuge in the Indian mission on February 13 to evade an arrest warrant issued by a court in a case concerning the detention of the chief judge of the Criminal Court during his presidency in January last year.