Maldives’ Prosecutor General brutally stabbed amid political crisis: Report

Maldives’ Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem has been brutally stabbed by unidentified miscreants, according to the country’s media reports.

Shameem was appointed by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which was in the government till November last year, and is presently the Opposition party. The attack on Shameem came as several Maldivian parliamentarians have been targeted by gangs on the road in recent days.

Meanwhile, the MDP said it has collected enough signatures needed to initiate a no-confidence motion to launch impeachment proceedings against President Mohamed Muizzu and his government. The impeachment motion against the pro-China President is likely to be submitted to Parliament soon.

This development came after the Maldivian Parliament witnessed chaos when lawmakers came to blows, disrupting a special session convened to seek parliamentary approval for Muizzu’s cabinet ministers. MPs from the ruling alliance consisting of the People’s National Congress (PNC) and the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) clashed with the MDP.

Muizzu, 45, defeated India-friendly incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the presidential runoff held in September last year.

Soon after taking oath as the President of Maldives on November 17, Muizzu formally requested India to withdraw 88 military personnel from his country by March 15, saying the Maldivian people had given him a “strong mandate” to make this request to New Delhi.

According to the latest government figures, there are 88 Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives to help operate a Dornier aircraft and two helicopters provided by India.

In a veiled dig at India, Muizzu, without naming any country, said, “We may be small, but that doesn’t give you the licence to bully us.” He made the comments after visiting China, his first foreign trip after becoming the President.