Whereabouts of official detained in India unknown: PPM
"Therefore, the alliance strongly condemns this act. We call upon the Government of India to immediately release Abdul Samad," PPM statement said.
The opposition PPM/PNC coalition on Sunday urged the government to locate the president of Hulhumale constituency Abdul Samad and ensure his safety and security, saying that he has gone missing after being detained by the Indian Immigration.
Abdul Samad, who had gone to India on Friday, was detained on Saturday by Indian immigration authorities inside Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru with his family, the opposition said on Saturday. He was arrested on the grounds that there was a problem with his passport, the party said in a statement. The party alleged that Abdul Samad was arrested because he was a leader of the opposition's 'India Out' movement.
In a message to the media, foreign ministry's Communications Director Saffath Ahmed Zahir said that the case is being looked into through Indian authorities.
In response, the opposition issued a statement on Saturday evening:
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Neither the family nor the party received any news of Abdul Samad after he was taken to Immigration in India
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In a video Samad posted on Facebook on Saturday night, he claims that he was being summoned to the Immigration due to an issue with a passport
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Despite information from Abdul Samad's close friends that he was being sent back to the Maldives via an incoming flight this Sunday afternoon, he was on none of those flights
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The coalition has written to the foreign ministry, gender ministry and the Human Rights Commission regarding the disappearance of Abdul Samad
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While he was taken into immigration custody, PPM says that his wife and son were shocked and continue to live in fear
"This coalition considers this to be an inhuman act by the government of India targeting various people who are raising their voice protesting and demanding the expulsion of overseas Indian soldiers from the Maldives," the opposition's press release read.
"The detention of Abdul Samad in India is a clear indication that the country and its people are under Indian slavery today. Therefore, the alliance strongly condemns this act. We call upon the Government of India to immediately release Abdul Samad."
According to The Times of India, Abdul Samad is expected to arrive in the Maldives on Monday.
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