Gov’t proposes bill to ban foreign military forces deployment without parliamentary approval

The government has proposed a bill to the parliament, aimed at restricting foreign military personnel from operating in the Maldives for any purpose other than participating in military exercises, unless granted parliamentary approval. The bill was proposed on behalf of the government by Parliamentarian Mohamed Shahid. The current legislation stated that foreign military personnel cannot utilise any part of the Maldives for military purposes without parliamentary consent. The proposed amendment extends this restriction, banning foreign military forces from engaging in any military activities in the Maldives—whether through agreements or otherwise—unless approved by a majority of parliamentarians. The bill also prohibits the active deployment of foreign military troops in the country, except for the purpose of military training, without parliamentary approval. These stringent amendments were proposed by the government, after fulfilling the pledge of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, remove foreign military forces from the Maldives. In line with this commitment, all Indian military personnel stationed at three locations in the Maldives were redeployed on May 9 under the president’s leadership.