India has stepped up efforts to facilitate a political reconciliation in Maldives and nudged former president Mohamed Nasheed to refrain from fomenting unrest in the island nation and instead rely on democratic process if he wants to return to power.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday sent Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Madhusudan Ganapathy, to Male to assess the situation and facilitate an inclusive political process in the tiny nation on the Indian Ocean. “I have sent an envoy to Maldives to assess the situation,” said Singh.

Singh said it was his sincere hope that the matter could be resolved through peaceful dialogue. “It will be our effort to use our influence in that direction,” he added.

Ganapathy called on new President Mohammed Waheed Hassan immediately after landing in Male in the afternoon. He also had a meeting with Nasheed later and is understood to have tried to persuade him to support his successor.