New Delhi: Mohamed Nasheed, the first democratically elected leader of the Maldives, who has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after being found guilty of terrorism, is looking at India for a lot more support. Nasheed expects more support that just as a party leader put it.

Nasheed's appeal against his February 22 arrest was dismissed by the Maldives high court on Sunday. The verdict is likely to worsen the acute political instability in the popular luxury tourist destination and appears likely to provoke street violence.

After Nasheed's arrest India has shown 'deep concern' over the situation in Maldives. As per report published in Times of India MDP leaders said that the Indian high commission continued to maintain that the local government did not seem inclined to listen to any international appeal.

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Maldivine Democratic Party (MDP) spokesperson and former MP Hamid Ghafoor told TOI from Male, "We hope with the unconstitutional sentencing of President Nasheed India will act more strongly so that the appeal process may be in line with the constitution and internationally accepted juridicial processes".

Ghafoor said people in Maldives were expecting India to act as they still remember how India came to the rescue of Gayoom when he was faced with a coup in 1988 and more recently how India helped Maldives successfully overcome a water crisis. "This generation of Maldivians believes India will come to President Nasheed's rescue. In fact, India's low-key attitude has surprised many," he said.

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Nasheed, a respected human rights and environment campaigner, was elected president in the Maldives' first free polls after the end of 30-year autocratic rule of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in 2008.

Nasheed was charged with "unlawful arrest" of Judge Abdulla Mohamed in April 2013 and while the charges were dropped later, he has now again been prosecuted for the same alleged offence under terrorism charges.