Security treaty with China will be detrimental for Maldives : Pakistani expert

Male (Maldives) – Maldives pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu has signed a security treaty with China. Pakistani security expert Dr Qamar Cheema in one of his blogs said that this treaty with China will have a detrimental effect on the Maldives. Dr Cheema said that Maldives’ equation with neighbouring countries namely India is reducing.

Dr Cheema further opined that this is not the first time that Muizzu’s anti-India face has been seen. From the moment he took over as President, he has been taking an anti-India stand. As soon as he took over, he spoke about sending back the Indian troops who were in Maldives for training and helping its army. He had said he did not want to keep any foreign troops on Maldivian soil and make the country an army camp. But now the signing of the security treaty with China clearly shows that Muizzu is following China’s directives.

China plans to isolate India

Pakistani security expert added that once China gets a foothold in Maldives it can gather information about India. Then on the other hand in the Arabian Sea there is Pakistan which has good relations with China. When China gets its presence in the Indian Ocean it will be able to keep an eye on the ‘Western Bloc’ (countries like Mozambique, Seychelles, Madagascar, Somalia, and South Africa etc)

The tourist Industry of Maldives was affected by its tension with India

Dr Cheema says, the tourist industry is responsible for one-third of the Maldives economy. Where the majority of the tourists are Russian and Indian. The tension with India has been a major blow to this Industry. But China has tried to stand with Maldives by sending its tourists to Maldives. At the same time, India has decided to promote Lakshadweep as a tourist centre.

Maldives trapped in China’s web

Dr Cheema opined that Muizzu thinks there is tension between India and China, and by taking an anti-India stand he can get aid for his country from China. Maybe he does not know about China’s devious moves and how it enmeshes countries in a debt trap. Sri Lanka is an example for Muizzu, where they became a close ally of China but when their economy went into a downward swirl, it was not China but neighbouring India that came to its aid.