Khaleel seeks delay in questioning over Saudi national meeting
Although the matter was scheduled on Monday's agenda, Dr Khaleel did not attend the session.
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Foreign Minister Dr Abdulla Khaleel has requested the Parliament to postpone his scheduled questioning regarding a meeting between President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and Fahad Saud Al-Shalan, who was introduced as a member of the Saudi royal family.
The matter was raised in Parliament by MDP MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem following the removal of official statements, photos, and videos of the meeting from the President’s Office website and social media accounts after public concerns surfaced questioning the royal status of Fahad.
MP Meekail submitted four questions to the Foreign Minister on 2 February. These included:
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1-
Whether Fahad is a member of the Saudi royal family.
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2-
Why the meeting was not attended or facilitated through the Saudi Embassy.
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3-
If Fahad was described as a royal family member, could it affect diplomatic relations between Maldives and Saudi Arabia?
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4-
What was the basis for arranging the meeting?
Although the matter was scheduled on Monday's agenda, Dr Khaleel did not attend the session. Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim stated that the minister had requested a deferral of the questioning due to official commitments.
“The question will be scheduled at the earliest possible date,” Nazim said.
MP Meekail expressed concern over the delay, noting that the minister was absent 27 days after the expiry of the 14-day notice period required to respond to parliamentary questions.
Fahad is distantly related to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz. However, in Saudi Arabia, the title of “Prince” or “Amir” is reserved for direct male descendants of the ruling family. Fahad does not fall under this classification.
No new date for the Foreign Minister’s appearance has yet been confirmed.
