India has replaced some 80 soldiers in the Maldives with civilians after a demand by President Mohamed Muizzu who has pivoted the archipelago’s ties towards China, New Delhi officials said on Thursday.

Eighty-eight Indian military personnel were operating two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft which were providing humanitarian and medical evacuation services in this archipelagic nation.

Addressing concerns about the return of Indian troops, Muizzu dismissed rumours, emphasising that the Indian military would completely withdraw from the Maldives by the specified deadline.