Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu will undertake a three-day state visit to Pakistan from Oct 20- 22, marking the first presidential visit from India’s Indian Ocean neighbour to Islamabad in over a decade. The last president to visit Pakistan was the overly pro-China Abdulla Yameen. According to a press release issued by the president’s office in Male, Muizzu will hold talks with Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif and meet President Asif Ali Zardari.Reaffirming his foreign policy direction, the Maldives press release stressed Muizzu’s commitment to his “Maldives First” policy, prioritising strong regional partnerships to drive national development. The visit will be of concern to India, given its ongoing efforts to contribute to the Indian Ocean country’s financial stability. On the request of Maldives, India just carried out the first rollover of Rs 3000 crore currency swap, in line with an agreement signed in 2024. Muizzu’s call for revival of the Saarc summit process has also not gone unnoticed in India.
