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Mariyam Shiuna, a suspended minister in the Maldives government led by President Mohamed Muizzu, has apologised for her now-deleted social media post where she mocked the Indian flag. Shiuna's post on X was against the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

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The post, which mocked the MDP, showed an altered picture of Ashok Chakra, a part of the Indian flag. It triggered severe backlash from Indians as well as Maldivians.

Here's a look at the deleted post which came ahead of the parliamentary elections in the Maldives:

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A clarification

Following the sharp criticism of the post, Shiuna deleted it and issued a clarification. "I would like to address a recent social media post of mine that has garnered attention and criticism. I extend my sincerest apologies for any confusion or offence caused by the content of my recent post," Shiuna said.

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"It was brought to my attention that the image used in my response to the Maldivian opposition party MDP bore a resemblance to the Indian flag. I want to make it clear that this was entirely unintentional, and I sincerely regret any misunderstanding it may have caused," she added.

The suspended minister also said that Maldives deeply "values its relationship and, the mutual respect we share with India."

Earlier controversy involving Shiuna

This is not the first time that Shiuna has stoked controversy. Before being suspended from the cabinet, Shiuna as the deputy minister of the Maldives Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information, and Art, made disparaging remarks on social media about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Lakshadweep. Following severe backlash, she removed her remarks, while Male distanced itself from her statements.

Also read | Maldives FM thanks Indian government, EAM for allowing export of essential commodities

The latest controversy comes days after India renewed the quota to allow the export of certain quantities of essential commodities to Maldives. In a post, the Indian High Commission in the Maldives said that New Delhi allowed the export of certain quantities of essential commodities for the year 2024-25 at the 'request' of the Maldivian government and that it was being done under a unique bilateral mechanism. 

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"I sincerely thank EAM S Jaishankar and the Government of India for the renewal of the quota to enable Maldives to import essential commodities from India during the years 2024 and 2025. This is truly a gesture which signifies the longstanding friendship, and the strong commitment to further expand bilateral trade and commerce between our two countries," Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer said on Saturday (April 6).