India chooses to wait and watch Gayoom’s moves

By all accounts, New Delhi treated Abdullah gently but firmly, pressing him to see that besides the reforms agenda, those arrested after the imposition of emergency, including former SAARC secretary-general Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, should be given ‘‘fair and humane treatment’’ in detention.

Gayoom, clearly, seems to have won some sort of reprieve from New Delhi, at least for the now, and goes on to Pakistan from here. Abdullah seemed visibly relieved when he met journalists this evening and told them that ‘‘India was happy that the situation had returned to normal in the Maldives.’’

Abdullah accepted that Zaki and other parliamentarians who had been in detention since August 13, had neither been charged nor tried, but couldn’t say why. Neither could he answer why such prominent Maldivians had been picked up in the first place, as they were not part of the mob that ‘‘sought to violently derail and undermine the constitutional reform’’ that Gayoom had sought to introduce. He said he was glad to receive ‘‘India’s support and understanding as a special friend of the Maldives.’’

New Delhi underplayed its own reaction, its tongue firmly in cheek. ‘‘As a nation with strong deep-rooted democratic traditions and values, India is keenly observing the initiatives taken by the Maldives to usher in democratic and constitutional reforms. We support the democratization process and hope that it would be taken to its rightful conclusion,’’ a MEA spokesperson said.

Clearly, New Delhi was not keen on embarrassing Abdullah, but neither does it want to give Gayoom the impression that he can take New Delhi’s support for granted. The government is keeping a keen watch on developments in the island country, including a trip the Maldivian dictator is believed to be planing to China by the month-end.