Maldives asks India to withdraw its troops by March 15

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu has asked India to withdraw its military troops from his country by March 15, a senior government official said on Sunday, PTI reported. Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, the principal secretary to the president on public policy, said at a press conference said it is a policy decision taken by Muizzu and his administration. "Indian military personnel cannot stay in the Maldives.," Nazim added, PTI reported citing the Maldives-based SunOnline newspaper. Muizzu, who was sworn into power in November, is widely seen as sympathetic to China's interests in the country. His predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had sought closer…