Former Maldivian president Ibrahim Mohammed Nasheed, who escaped an assassination attempt in May, has returned to the Maldives from Germany where he had been seeking treatment for his recovery. He is currently the speaker of the Maldivian parliament. 

Upon his arrival at Velena International Airport (VIA), President Ibrahim Muhamad Solih, received him at the airport and welcomed him. Both Nasheed and Solih, the top leaders of the ruling MDP party, had developed serious differences over government policies, especially against extremism and radicalism. 

Nasheed, who was the first democratically elected leader of the archipelago, has been calling the government to act decisively on tackling the menace of extremism. Following the inquiry into the attack on him, he has been extremely critical of the government’s approach towards tackling extremism. 

On 6 May this year, Nasheed was targeted outside his house in Male, when an improvised explosive device exploded near his car he was about to board. The attack was blamed on religious extremists whom Nasheed has been attacking. 

Raajje TV reported that Nasheed will stay short in the country and will fly to the United Kingdom. Earlier, Nasheed went on to politically distance himself from President Solih over his alleged soft attitude towards extremism. 

(SAM)