Shahid also quashed rumours that his recent appointment as the main opposition leader was backed by India.Several of the officials of the Muizzu administration have alleged that his appointment was backed by India, the report said.Criticising the government over the allegations made against him, the new MDP leader said the current government should realise his calibre for achieving feats on his own.”The people currently running the government use India as their go-to excuse to invalidate anything I attempt to achieve. At this point, they may go as far as to claim my birth was influenced by India. This is the extent of their narrative right now,” Shahid said.The Maldives’ proximity to India, barely 70 nautical miles from the island of Minicoy in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the mainland’s western coast, and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) gives it significant strategic importance.The Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour in the IOR and occupies a special place in its initiatives like SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the Neighbourhood First Policy’ of the Narendra Modi government.WATCH
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