R&AW Finds Intelligence Depth In Mauritius As Pro-China Regime In Maldivies Wins

New Delhi's great Island Ally in the Indian Ocean Region, Siloh, faced defeat from a pro-china president Mohamed Muizzu who will take over as Maldives President. Mizzu is a close associate of Yammen, pro China supporter of President  Yameen during 2013-18 and under his tenure, friction in the India-Maldivies relationship. He believed that India is close to his opposition party, and he tried to move closer to China, where China got significant geopolitical space to nurture its influence as a result, under Yameen's government, Maldives' debt rose to one fifth, trade agreements with China signed and most significant was Yameen's decision to join China's BRI. His party, when out of power in 2020, launched the "India Out" campaign, which was an attempt to create a trust deficit in India- Maldives relationship and bring china closer. However, the incumbent Siloh adopted India's First Policy and strengthened its relationship with India. But now, with a regime change, security dilemmas and China's attempt to register its presence in the Indian Ocean region will surely get some fillip. India's traditional sphere of Influence will also get a hard hit as India's investments and strategic presence in the Island will be impacted. In such a scenario, Intelligence operations appear to be risky as anti-India establishment make covert operations difficult, Millitary rule in Bangladesh in 1975 and Fijji are prime examples. The Research& Analysis Wing(R&AW) will find some difficulties in making strategic manoeuvres in the island, considering it already being in the spotlight after Canada's episode, top sources say. Top Sources say that Intelligence Depth to via Mauritius will help to maintain a watch over Maldivies's affairs, and for this, Vivek Johri, senior IPS of the 1984 batch and former R&AW man, was immediately rushed yesterday night to Maldives as NSA to Maldivies a position where Sunil Illango was stationed. Intel depth via maturities will provide a temporary balance in managing the intel affairs. In the intelligence community, this seems to be a similar strategy that former R&AW bosses adopted in handling Fijji when an anti-India establishment came to power in 1980 1990s.