Maldives Prosecutor General Hussain Shaheem attacked by unknown assailants: Report

Hussain Shameem, Prosecutor General of Maldives, was brutally stabbed by unidentified assailants. Shameem was appointed as the Prosecutor General by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which was in government till November 2023 and is currently the Opposition party. The attack was reported to authorities on a Wednesday morning, as per a statement from a police spokesperson quoted in the local daily SunOnline.

The development comes as the Opposition is looking to initiate an impeachment motion against the pro-China Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu due to the ongoing diplomatic tensions between India and the island nation. The impeachment motion against Muizzu is likely to be submitted in the Parliament soon. 

Meanwhile, the Maldives' Parliament witnessed scenes of chaos when lawmakers attacked each other and disrupted a special session convened to seek approval for Muizzu's cabinet ministers. MPs belonging to the ruling alliance comprising People's National Congress (PNC) and the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) clashed with the MPs belonging to the MDP.

Soon after this, the government moved the Supreme Court on Monday over a recent amendment to the Parliament's standing orders that allows opposition lawmakers to impeach the President. Seven lawmakers resigned from the Parliament in November to join Muizzu's administration. Despite this, the election commission did not conduct by-elections.

The MDP, which holds a majority in the Parliament, amended the standing orders to exclude the vacated seats when calculating the total number of MPs. Currently, 54 votes are required to impeach the President, down from the previous 58.

Muizzu become the President of Maldives after defeating former India-friendly incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih last year. Muizzu had won elections in October last year due to an "India Out" campaign, wherein he pledged the removal of Indian troops from the island nation.

Soon after taking the oath in November last year, Mohamed Muizzu formally asked India to withdraw 88 military personnel from Maldives by March 15. 

At the time, he stated the people of Maldives gave him a "strong mandate" to make the request to India. These military personnel are stationed in the Maldives to help operate a Dornier aircraft and two helicopters provided by India. 

Earlier this month, Muizzu also took a veiled dig at India when he said that no country has the right to "bully" the island nation. "We may be small, but that doesn't give you the licence to bully us," Muizzu said after his five-day China visit. 

His statement came in the wake of diplomatic tensions between India and Maldives after some Maldivian leaders made derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his visit to Lakshadweep. The ministers saw Modi's Lakshadweep visit as an attempt to damage the Maldives' tourism industry. 

(With inputs from Geeta Mohan, PTI)

Also Read: 'Seek forgiveness from India, apologise to PM Modi,' Maldives opposition MP asks President Muizzu