Significant dismay has been expressed in Indian media and strategic circles at the Maldives' recent decision to withdraw their agreement with India for cooperative hydrographic surveys in Maldivian waters. Signed in 2019 amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the islands, the agreement was viewed as a representation of the Maldives and India's defense relationship.
Mujib Alam, an international relations professor at Jamia Millia Islamia university in New Delhi, told Al Jazeera that it "symbolises a considerable reorientation in the Maldives’s foreign relations, moving away from the longstanding view of India as an essential ally and strategic partner in the Indian Ocean region and South Asia." Moreover, Muizzu intensified his demand during the campaign that India remove its troops from the Maldives shortly after assuming president. India had allegedly threatened to use the military facility it was constructing on the island of Uthuruthilafalhu, close to Male, as a means of seizing control of the nation during the election campaign, according to his Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM).
The party grew out of the "India out" movement, which in recent years has portrayed New Delhi as a hegemon eager to undermine the nation's sovereignty. That offer has been rejected by India, which only has 77 soldiers in the Maldives, including those who fly two Dhruv helicopters and a Dornier plane that it has provided to help reach those in need of medical attention on remote islands in the archipelago. Sources from the Maldivian opposition, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that Muizzu is aware that Indian forces do not pose a serious threat to the nation's sovereignty, but he has succeeded in inciting nationalist sentiment in order to gain political and electoral benefits. One person who was thought to be especially close to India was his predecessor, Ibrahim Solih. On the other hand, Muizzu's association with China is more widespread due to his role as mayor of Male, where he managed infrastructure projects backed by Beijing and pledged better links with the Chinese Communist Party in the event of his election as president.
Since nearly 80 percent of India's energy imports and 50 percent of its foreign trade pass through Indian Ocean maritime lanes, the country is concerned about the gap with the Maldives. Muizzu's calculation seems straightforward: he needs others to enter if he wants India to leave. Experts claimed that's the purpose of his travels.
