The office of Information Commission in Maldives on Tuesday backed the Defence Ministry’s stand of withholding information on the presence of Indian military personnel in the country, the Sun reported.  The commission said the decision is in accordance with the laws.

A local reporter, Ahmad Azaan, filed a request in the Defence Ministry seeking information on the number of Indian military personnel present in the Maldives under the Right to Information Act. The ministry turned down his request for the information citing the national security threat. 

The reporter subsequently moved to the Information Commission seeking direction for the Defence Ministry for the information. 

In recent months, Maldives has seen protests and social media campaigns against the alleged excessive presence of Indian Military personnel in the Maldives. Posters and banners displaying “IndiaOut” slogans were displayed in such campaigns.    

The parliament’s speaker Nasheed and foreign minister Abdullah Shahid accused the country’s opposition of fueling such protests and said that such a campaign will have a negative impact on the country’s foreign relations.