SAARC Secretary General Diyana Saeed resigns after criticising Maldives Government

SAARC Secretary General Diyana Saeed has resigned from her post just three months after her appointment. She resigned after the Government of Maldives accused her of violating SAARC Charter following her criticism of the Government's refusal to obey the order of the Supreme Court to immediately release a senior judge of the Criminal Court who was arrested by the Maldivian Defence Forces four days ago. Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed was arrested and taken to a Military Training Centre in Girifushi island against an order of the High Court not to arrest him.

The arrest of the Chief Judge sparked a wave of condemnation of the Government and Defence Forces for violating the Constitution and law on judges. The Law on Judges say that a judge can only be arrested after obtaining an order from a higher court to do so. Judge Abdulla Mohamed was accused by the Government for refusing the arrest of former Justice Minister and Deputy Leader of the Maldives Qawmy Party Dr. Mohamed Jameel and its Council Member Sandhaannu Ahmed Didi who the Government has accused of spreading deliberate false information to say the Government is working with anti Islamic sources to weaken Islam in the Maldives.

In a news Conference of lawyers on Wednesday where SAARC Secretary General Diyana Saeed also participated, she criticised the Government for not obeying the orders of the Supreme Court and High Court and she said it was a constitutional duty of the Government to comply with the Court orders and release the detainees. She also said if the order from the Judiciary was not obeyed by the Government, then the people will have to decide.

Her comments were responded by President Mohamed Nasheed's Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair who said Diyana has violated the SAARC Charter by interfering in the internal affairs of the Maldives. Press Secretary's statement was followed by Diyana's reply in which she stated through DhiTV that as a Maldivian citizen, and being a lawyer and having worked in the Constitutional assembly in the formulation of the new Constitution, she has a right to express her opinion about the current issue of Government's non compliance to the order of the Judiciary. She also said it is a fundamental issue where she has a right to say what she feels. What she said was not on any political ground and if she is denied of that fundamental right, she is ready to resign from the post of the Secretary General, she said.

She resigned from the post of Secretary General soon after her media statement. Diyana was the first Attorney General in the Cabinet of President Nasheed when he formed his MDP Government after winning the 2008 Presidential election in the second round. Diyana is the first woman Secretary General of the South Asian entity and this is the fist time a SAARC Secretary General has resigned.