The Maldives has warned India against interfering in its political crisis, deepening a rift with the country once seen as its closest ally. New Delhi has expressed concern about the situation in the honeymoon islands, whose president has sacked top judges, jailed political dissidents and imposed a state of emergency in recent weeks. On Wednesday it said it was “deeply dismayed” by the extension of emergency rule, earning an official rebuke from the Maldives foreign ministry. “There is no doubt that the Maldives is experiencing one of the most difficult periods in the history of the nation,” the islands’ ministry said in a statement late Thursday. Despite criticism from the international community, legislators from Yameen’s party on Tuesday controversially approved a 30-day extension of emergency rule.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 23, 2018 08:03 UTC