Actions of Secretary General of SAARC in conflict with SAARC Charter, says government

Secretary General of the regional organization SAARC Dhiyana Saeed has acted in conflict with the SAARC Charter, according to the government.

Press Secretary of the President’s Office Mohamed Zuhair said today that the SAARC Charter states that the Secretary General cannot be involved in any country’s internal affairs, and that she cannot comment even on her own country’s internal or domestic issues.Dhiyana said that she does not believe that her actions have been in conflict with the SAARC Charter.

However, at a Press Conference held yesterday evening at VTV by the Maldives Senior Legal Team, Dhiyana said the government cannot choose to follow certain Acts of the Constitution and ignore others, and that if the government fails to obey court orders, the people of the country have to find a solution to this problem.

“These are not issues which can be picked and chosen. We will follow a certain Act, but a certain other Act is not for us – not even the government has the right to say this. The Constitution and regulations are not rules that should be followed only when we feel like it. They must be followed at all times,” Dhiyana said.

Dhiyana, who acted as Attorney General in the beginning of this regime but was removed from the post due to opinion differences with the President, said that whether a person is acting in violation of the law or not, is a decision made by court Judges, and that it is a very serious problem if orders issued by the courts are not being followed.