Monday 23rd Dec 2024
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Captain Ihsan

Military Should Not Be Forced to Defend UTF Agreement: Capt Ihusaan

The Maldivian military should not be forced to defend an agreement made by the governments of the Maldives and India which grants India undue influence in Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF), said Capt. Ali Ihusaan (Retd).
Ihusaan made this statement via Twitter.
The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) had held a press conference this afternoon with regards to the leaking of a draft of the UTF agreement. The Chief of Defence Force Maj. Gen. Abdullah Shamal had claimed that the agreement posed no threat to national security. However, he said, that the agreement was a classified document.
"The UTF project is a years-long dream for the military. It could be developed through a loan or even the state's budget. The military does not have to defend an agreement made by the government which grants India undue influence. That's the job of the Minister. Don't politicize the military!"
Ihusaan said that the UTF project had been a dream of the Maldivian military for many years. He said that the project could have been carried out using the national budget or a loan.

He said that the military was not obliged to defend the agreement made by the government. Defending the agreement, he had said, was the job of Minister of Defence, Uza Mariya Ahmad Didi. He called on the government to refrain from politicizing the military.