NEW DELHI: India’s navy has said it is bolstering forces on “strategically important” islands close to the Maldives, with a new base set to open just days before Male starts sending home Indian forces.

Relations between India and the Maldives have soured since pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu won elections last year after promising to expel Indian forces.

India is suspicious of China’s growing presence in the archipelago nation, which straddles key east-west international shipping routes, and the new base will extend New Delhi’s “operational surveillance” of the area, the navy said in a statement late on Saturday.

Muizzu has asked India to withdraw 89 security personnel based in the Maldives to operate reconnaissance aircraft, with the first batch due to leave by March 10 and all to depart within two months.

President Mohamed Muizzu vowed to remove foreign military troops from the island nation. Subsequently, India confirmed that the Indian military personnel in the Maldives will be replaced with technical personnel, underscoring a recalibration of bilateral relations amidst geopolitical dyna­mics in the Indian Ocean region.

Relations between the two countries have soured since pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu won elections last year

The current Muizzu administration is dissatisfied with India’s infiltration into Maldivian internal affairs in terms of security and politics over the years. This is perceived by some in India as the Maldives leaning towards China and distancing itself from India, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times.

“Against this backdrop, the passage of the Chinese research vessel further intensifies the suspicion of Indian officials toward the development of China-Maldives relations,” he said.

The new base, opening March 6 on India’s Lakshadweep islands, will turn an existing small detachment into an “independent naval unit”, according to the navy’s statement.

India’s Lakshadweep islands lie about 130 kilometres (80 miles) north of the Maldives, with the new naval base on the island of Minicoy situated at their closest point. India’s navy already has a base on the Lakshadweep island of Kavaratti, but the new base will be about 258 kilometres (160 miles) closer to the Maldives.

“Minicoy is the southernmost island of Lakshadweep which straddles the vital sea lines of communications,” the navy said.

It said the base will boost anti-piracy and anti-narcotic operations, and was part of a policy to “incrementally augment security infrastructure at the strategically important” islands.

“Basing of an independent Naval unit with requisite infrastructure and resources will enhance the overall operational capability of the Indian Navy in the islands. The base will enhance operational reach and facilitate Indian Navy’s operational effort towards Anti-Piracy and Anti-Narcotics Opera­tions in Western Arabian Sea.

It will also augment Indian Navy’s capability as the first responder in the region and augment connectivity with the mainland. The establishment of a Naval base is in line with the Govt of India’s focus towards comprehensive development of islands,” a government release said.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2024