Shrinking influence

Back in September 2023, the Maldivian people rejected the pro-Indian President M Ibrahim Solih and voted in favour of the mayor of Male, Mohammad Muizzu, who appears to be a staunch supporter of China. After taking his oath of office, Muizzu ordered all Indian troops in the Maldives to leave the land forthwith. This was a serious blow to the Modi-led government. Likewise, the Indian government was also deeply involved in the internal affairs of Bangladesh and quite close to Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government. This pro-India tilt was, as far as I can tell, among the factors that made Sheikh Hasina very unpopular, which eventually contributed to the toppling of her government.

Sheikh Hasina had to fly to India, leaving the country in a chaotic state with no option other than to form a transitional government. This was another setback for the Modi regime and an utter failure of its so-called animated diplomacy. Further public reaction is to be if the interim cabinet led by the Nobel-laureate Dr Muhammad Younas fails to shun the pro-India policy.

Guldar Ali Khan Wazir

Zhob