India denounces US reports linking Delhi to failed attempt to impeach Maldives President
text_fields
India firmly rejected two recent reports by The Washington Post, one alleging New Delhi’s involvement in a failed plot to impeach Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu and another accusing Indian agents of targeting terror operatives in Pakistan.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the claims, criticising the publication and its reporter for harboring a “compulsive hostility” towards India.
The Washington Post report, based on a document titled "Democratic Renewal Initiative," alleged that opposition politicians in the Maldives discussed bribing 40 parliamentarians, including members of President Muizzu’s party, to secure his impeachment. The report claimed the plot ultimately failed due to insufficient support.
Dismissing these allegations, Jaiswal stated, “Both the newspaper and the reporter in question appear to nurse a compulsive hostility towards India. You can see a pattern in their activities. As far as we are concerned, they have none [credibility].”
In another report, the Washington Post cited unnamed Pakistani and Western officials to allege that India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has been running an operation since 2021 to eliminate at least six individuals inside Pakistan.
Responding to this, Jaiswal referred to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2011 remarks, emphasizing the dangers of harboring terror groups. “You cannot keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbors,” he quoted, reiterating India’s longstanding concerns about Pakistan providing safe havens to terror organisations.
Hillary Clinton’s comments were originally made as a stern message to Pakistan, urging it to dismantle terror networks operating within its borders, including the Haqqani network responsible for cross-border strikes.
India has maintained that it is committed to safeguarding its interests and countering terrorism, while also emphasising the importance of transparency and credibility in reporting.