Maldivian President supports Indian stand on Mumbai attacks

New Delhi, Dec 25 (ANI): Maldivian President Mohammad 'Anni' Nasheed today supported the Indian stand on Mumbai attacks stating that the militants who staged the three-day rampage came through the sea route from Karachi.

Interacting with the media here, Nasheed said that Maldives is a nation of sea fishermen in the middle of the Indian Ocean and that they are concerned about maritime security.

"We have seen that this particular act was facilitated through the sea, it came from Karachi by sea to Mumbai. We are a nation of sea fishermen in the middle of the Indian ocean and therefore we are very concerned about it," he added.

Talking about Islamic fundamentalism Nasheed admitted that between 30 to 40 out of 150 Maldivian students in Madarasas in Pakistan were getting education in more radical ones.

He said the only way to stop this was by offering scholarships to the students in Maldives to study in Indian institutions.

Maldives enjoys strong and cordial relations with India and has been a major partner of Maldives development extending generous assistance.

The Indian Government has pledged 100 million dollars in aid to Maldives during the recent visit of the new Government's Foreign Minister Ahmed Shaheed. (ANI)