Yameen questions basis for President Muizzu’s Honorary Doctorate

Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has criticised Pakistan’s decision to confer an honorary doctorate on President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, saying he would have rejected the award had it been offered to him.

Speaking at a gathering organised by the People’s National Front (PNF) last night, Yameen questioned the basis on which the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) decided to honour Muizzu with an honorary doctorate in Politics and International Relations.

I’m deeply saddened by this and wish to lodge my protest. I do not understand how Pakistan, based on their assessment of socio-economic factors, decided to recognise Muizzu with an honorary doctorate. Do they assess the current developments within the Maldives?

Yameen remarked.

He argued that awarding an honorary degree to a visiting world leader without what he considered sufficient merit could undermine the prestige of the institution conferring it.

When a world leader visits a country and is conferred an award based on credentials they do not possess, it diminishes the prestige of the institution granting it. If such an honorary doctorate were offered to me, I would reject it, as I recognise it lacks any genuine merit

He said.

Yameen also questioned whether Pakistani authorities were sufficiently aware of the political situation in the Maldives, noting that Pakistan maintains an embassy in the country.

He claimed that public discourse in the Maldives has increasingly focused on what he described as the harshness of the current administration.

President Muizzu was conferred an honorary doctorate in Politics and International Relations by the International Islamic University Islamabad on 21 October.

The ceremony took place at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presenting the honour alongside the university’s rector.

According to the President’s Office, the university recognised Muizzu for his public service, leadership, and contributions to institutional development, governance and the socio-economic advancement of the Maldives.

The award was conferred during President Muizzu’s state visit to Pakistan from 20 to 22 October, undertaken at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.