Home minister Umar Naseer said on twitter that the “lady” from Adhaalath who had spoken during the protest was “representing herself only”. Shidhaatha Shareef, a former state minister for law and gender, was the only member from Adhaalath to have spoken during the protest. However, Adhaalath on twitter said the ongoing protest has the party's full participation. "AP will always be against brutality," the tweet read. The decision by Adhaalath to take part in the anti-government protest led by main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) comes weeks after the party went through an unexpected shakeup at its leadership. Early this month, the party had appointed its spokesperson Ali Zahir as the vice president. The appointment reportedly came after the resignation of Dr Mauroof Hussein from the vice president’s post. Adhaalath confirmed the shakeup, but did not give details. It said Zahir would work to take the party to new heights at a time it is struggling to be relevant in the political arena following the arrest of its leader. Imran Abdulla faces terrorism charges for inciting violence during an opposition rally on May Day. He has been placed under house arrest until the end of his trial, which resumed early last month after a long hiatus. The prosecution had claimed that the violence which occurred during the protests were the result of the “hate speeches” made by opposition leaders, including Imran. Imran was also accused of directly threatening President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom during the speech. Government, meanwhile, downplayed the size of the anti-government demonstration Friday afternoon as opposition leaders claimed of huge numbers streaming in for the protest. Top officials of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) arrived at the Artificial Beach area just past 4pm to kick-start the protest calling for the release of jailed ex-president Mohamed Nasheed and other political detainees. MDP had said over 25,000 people are expected to join the protest from all across the archipelago. However, minister Umar took to twitter to downplay those claims by the opposition. He described the turnout at the protest as “significantly low”. “MDP has lost momentum,” his tweet read. Another tweet by the police put the number of protestors at just “about 2000”. “Police are patrolling the area,” the tweet read. At the start of the protest, opposition leaders announced that their supporters will take to the streets in defiance of the severe restrictions placed by authorities on the ongoing mass anti-government demonstration. Addressing thousands of supporters gathered at the Artificial Beach area in the capital Male, MDP parliamentary group leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said the protest will continue for 72 hours and 13 hours as announced earlier. The Hinnavaru MP reiterated that several demands will be put forward to the government after Maqrib (sunset) prayers and the protest will then spill onto the streets of the capital Male. "Government can meet these demands in 73 hours," he added. Police had earlier backtracked on its decision after initially agreeing to allow the protest to continue. The u-turn came after minister Umar said on twitter Thursday morning that he had asked the police to restrict the protestors to the Artificial Beach area and end it by midnight Friday. Home ministry on Thursday urged opposition protestors to respect the laws and regulations. Solih further called president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom to step down after insisting that the government had failed to serve the people. Early this month, MDP had announced its plan to hold the mass protest on November 6. The protest was later called off after President Abdulla Yamin Abdul Gayoom declared a state of emergency on November 4. Maldives declared a month-long state of emergency in what had been extraordinary security measures following an explosion on a speedboat carrying the president and subsequent discovery of an arms haul. The state of emergency was, however, cut short and lifted after only a week following intense international pressure.