Pro-government figures have blamed the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) for a fire that broke out on Thursday morning, which destroyed the building housing three government ministries, including housing, infrastructure, and environment, although authorities have yet to confirm the cause.
State Minister at the Housing Ministry Ahmed Siddeeq questioned whether the fire was a coincidence, linking it to the parliament’s recent decision to investigate cases involving former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and MDP Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail, a former economic minister.
“Was it just a coincidence that some state documents were burnt following the parliament’s decision to investigate these cases?” Siddique wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Senior Political Director of the Ministry of Cities and Local Government Ahmed Rashid accused the MDP of repeatedly seeking to harm the country and its people.
Former Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs Mariyam Shiuna went further, calling the MDP “terrorists” and alleging they were “burning the country.” Shiuna, who previously sparked controversy by mocking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, later added that the MDP has “a history of setting fire to government offices.”
The fire, which affected three ministries, has been linked to MDP by pro-government figures. However, neither the police nor the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has revealed any information on the cause of the fire.
The MDP has not publicly responded to the allegations.