Maldivian Minister states pilots unable to fly aircraft donated by India.

India has withdrawn 76 military personnel from Maldives. This announcement was made by Ghassan Maumoon at a press conference held in the President’s Office to brief the media about the withdrawal of Indian soldiers stationed in the Maldives. The soldiers operated two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft, and they will now be replaced with civilians from India. Maumoon stated that there were no Maldivian soldiers in the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) who were capable of operating the three aircraft donated by the Indian military.

This was despite previous training efforts initiated by previous governments. Due to various reasons, including incomplete training, there are currently no licensed or fully operational individuals within the force who can fly the helicopters and Dornier aircraft. The strained relations between India and Maldives came about after a pro-China leader, Muizzu, insisted on the withdrawal of all Indian military personnel operating the aviation platforms by May 10. While India has withdrawn its military personnel, the Maldives government has no plans to remove the Indian doctors from the Senahiya military hospital.

It was noted that during the past five years, the current administration’s senior officials, while in opposition, criticized the previous government and claimed that there were capable pilots in the MNDF. The training of Maldivians was the primary reason for the presence of Indian soldiers with the helicopters and Dornier aircraft donated during the previous governments. *This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed. (Except for the headline)*