Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdulla has stated his claims regarding Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed's health on the night of the May 6 terror attack was based on information he initially received from the family of the victim.
The minister made the statement while answering questions in Parliament over his claim to the media that Nasheed's life was not in danger, shortly after he was taken to ADK Hospital after the attack. The ADK medical team that treated Nasheed later revealed he had sustained life-threatening injuries in the attack, which could have been fatal. The team of doctors stated Nasheed had to undergo hours of surgery to extract shrapnel that were lodged inside his body, which had damaged his ribs and vital organs, and that one piece of shrapnel had been one centimetre away from his heart.
Speaking in Parliament, Minister Imran said he had gone to ADK Hospital after the attack and met Nasheed's family members, who had cited doctors as saying his life was not in danger. He said the seriousness of Nasheed's injuries was not known at the time and that he did not make the claims to the media in an attempt to make light of the situation.
Expressing concern over Imran's statement, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Eva Abdulla, who is related to Nasheed, said it was difficult for her to believe that the doctors or Nasheed's family members would claim that he was not in a critical condition, since she was at the hospital during the hours of surgery, and had received updates from the doctors. She also expressed disappointment that the home minister would inquire Nasheed's family members on his condition instead of looking into the situation himself.
Speaker Nasheed was taken to Germany on May 13 for further treatment and has since been discharged.