But the sudden u-turn on jailed former president Mohamed Nasheed has taken everyone by surprise. Nasheed had sought permission to go abroad for a surgery on his back, but Correctional Service had repeatedly denied the request insisting that the microdiscectomy surgery could be done in the Maldives. On Saturday afternoon, Foreign ministry announced on twitter that the government had granted permission to Nasheed to travel to UK to undergo the surgery, at his request. "This is the first time the Maldives government has taken a backward step. This is noteworthy," a top official of opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said. Home minister Umar Naseer insisted Saturday that the surgery could be done in Maldives, but stressed that the government was forced to grant the permission after a legal opinion by the attorney general. Attorney general Mohamed Anil had advised the government that former presidents are afforded privileges and that they can be allowed to seek medical treatment abroad even if the procedure is available from local hospitals, he added. “Former minister Nazim was allowed to go abroad for treatment twice. So the attorney general believes that Nasheed, being a former president, are entitled to special privileges,” the minister said. Earlier this month, government had given permission to jailed former defence minister Mohamed Nazim to travel abroad for a heart surgery. Nazim, who had served as the defence minister under former president Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik and incumbent president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, is serving an 11-year prison sentence for smuggling and possessing dangerous weapons. But despite the minister's claims, the permission given to Nasheed is different to that of other such high-profile inmates. Government had bypassed procedure by granting permission to the opposition leader to the extent where he was not required a permit from the medical board of the Maldives Correctional Service. The correctional service had earlier denied Nasheed's request insisting that there was no legal means by which the permission could be given as the medical procedure was available in the Maldives. So the question remains as to why the government has suddenly reversed its original decision. What prompted the government to overlook the set procedures and seek the legal opinion of the Attorney General? Has the incessant international pressure and criticism finally got to the defiant Maldives government? The home minister who has been publicly defending the government stressed that there was no "new" pressure to free the jailed ex-president. "We will continue to handle that pressure," Umar said. Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in prison in March for ordering the arbitrary detention of chief criminal judge Abdulla Mohamed during his presidency. The former president had filed for appeal his prison sentence after backtracking on his decision to not appeal his sentence by opting to go to the Supreme Court instead. Maldives' international partners' calls for his release echoed louder after a UN panel ruled that Nasheed's detention was arbitrary. But the government did not appear to crack under the relentless pressure until now. It is also interesting to link the successive visits of the Indian foreign secretary and two senior Sri Lankan ministers which also coincides with a visit by the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of UK Hugo Swire who arrived earlier Sunday. - Has Nasheed been freed? - This is the question on everyone's mind at present. With Nasheed's close connections with the UK government, it is hardly jumping to conclusions to predict what Nasheed's next move would be. And it does not appear too far fetched to presume that UK may even be ready to grant Nasheed asylum. Inmates are given a specific period to go abroad for medical treatment. But a lack of a deadline for Nasheed's return has also further fueled rumours of an under the table deal. But Umar insists that Nasheed has not been given a date to return back to Maldives as his family is yet to decide on certain aspects of the surgery. Once the date is set, Umar warned that Nasheed would face charges if he did not return. - MDP and Nasheed's legal team cautious - A spokeswoman for the ex-leader's party told international news-wire AFP that lawyers had concluded a previously arranged meeting with Nasheed at a prison island near the capital Saturday when the government's surprise announcement came. "We have seen the statement from the government, but we want to see it in writing. we want to see what the conditions are," Nasheed's lawyer Hassan Latheef told AFP by telephone. "We have requested a special meeting with president Nasheed at the prison tomorrow (Sunday) to discuss this development." The cautious approach to the government's announcement is understandable, especially with the contentious 'letter' commuting Nasheed's sentence to house arrest last year. Nasheed was transferred to house arrest last July due to health reasons but late August he was taken back to prison. The opposition accused the government of backtracking on its decision to commute the ex-president’s sentence. Nasheed’s legal team had claimed that a document was hand delivered by a correctional service officer to Nasheed which had “officially” commuted his sentence to house arrest. The government has vehemently denied the document’s existence and launched a police investigation to determine its authenticity. - Political landscape shift - Self-exiled MDP chairperson Ali Waheed hailed the development as a major victory for the opposition struggle to free its jailed leader. Ali Waheed who is coincidentally in exile in the UK, however, refused to comment further. He said once Nasheed reaches the UK, it would lead to a major shift in the political landscape of the archipelago.