(Lead incorporating JSC denial)

Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed today remained holed up in the Indian High Commission for the fourth day in a row amid no indications whether background diplomacy was being helpful in resolving the situation arising out his taking refuge in the Indian Mission. Taking strong note of media reports based on a purported statement of Judicial Services Commission of Maldives, the Indian High Commission here said JSC had categorically denied issuing such a statement over the sheltering of Nasheed. The High Commission said that JSC has underlined that the the letter with the purported statement which was circulated was a "forged one". A foreign agency issued a story based on this statement which was picked up by various media outlets. Nasheed has remained at the High Commission since Wednesday, when he took refuge there to evade getting arrested for failing to appear in court last weekend to face charges of abuse of power while he was President. Official sources said the situation has not "changed much" since the Foreign Ministers of the two countries spoke on Thursday. Asked if the High Commission was in talks with the Maldivian government to sort out the situation, sources said talks have been on at an informal level as the mission was closed for two days for holidays and will reopen tomorrow. Nasheed and his party have maintained that the charges � of illegally detaining Chief Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed prior to his controversial resignation on February 7, 2012 � are a politically-motivated attempt to prevent him from contesting presidential elections scheduled for later this year. The UN, US, UK and now the EU and the Commonwealth have joined India in urging restraint on both sides, and "inclusive" elections in September. In response to the international statements, the Maldives' Foreign Ministry issued a statement emphasising that the political situation remained "calm and normal", "and does not warrant other countries and international organisations to issue statements characterising the situation in any other light", the Minivan News reported.