Maldives president to arrive today

Maldives’ President, Mohammed Waheed Hussain, whose succession to Presidency was charged of a coup, leading to political turmoil, would be arriving in New Delhi on Friday evening.

The visit comes just days ahead of the expiry of the four week deadline that  Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) has imposed on Maldives to change the composition of the National Commission of Inquiry set up by Waheed in February to investigate the events leading to the alleged “coup” on February 7.

In its April 16 meeting, the CMAG asked Waheed to change the composition of the inquiry commission in four weeks to make it “independent and impartial,” and said if it failed to do so they would have to take suspend the member of Maldives from the Commonwealth. The regime is under tremendous pressure from the Commonwealth over inclusion of “independent and impartial” members from other members, which Maldives has been resisting. Maldives is expected to seek India’s help  in using its influence to help tide over the crisis.