Ex-Maldives president now claims he 'was forced to resign at gunpoint'

Male, Feb 8(ANI): Ex-Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed revealed on Wednesday that he was forced to resign at gunpoint, and urged his successor Waheed Hassan Manik to also step down.

"Yes, I was forced to resign at gunpoint. There were guns all around me and they told me they wouldn't hesitate to use them, if I didn't resign. I call on the chief justice to look into the matter of who was behind this coup. We will try our best to bring back a lawful government," The Telegraph quoted Nasheed, as saying.

His comments came a day after he resigned following a coup attempt by police officers and army troops.

It was, however, unclear who were holding the guns.eanwhile, British diplomatic sources have said the situation in Maldives is "fluid' and "fast-moving", but that there were no reports of British tourists being trapped in the chaos.

The first signs of a coup attempt emerged when the army increased its presence outside President Nasheed's home, as opposition protestors gathered in Male's Republic Square.

It was later reported that rogue police officers had also attacked the headquarters of the ruling Maldives Democratic Party.

Nasheed's ouster is being seen as setback to the country's fragile democracy, and comes just three years after he won a landslide election. (ANI)