Pakistan called for stability in the Maldives on Thursday, days after former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed announced his resignation in the wake of protests and former Vice President Mohommad Wahid took office as the new president.

"As a brotherly country, we wish the people of the Maldives stability and prosperity," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.

The Maldives is a member of the South Asia Association for the Regional Cooperation (SAARC) of which Pakistan is also a member.

"As a matter of principle, we would not like to comment on internal matters of other states," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said when asked how does Pakistan see development in the Maldives. But he said Pakistan wants stability in the South Asian country.

Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed told an Indian TV on Thursday that he was toppled by a small group of police officers and wanted the international community to help his country restore democracy.

Nasheed said that he now feared for his life and the safety of his family, who he said had fled to Sri Lanka. He said the police had arrested some 250 supporters of his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) so far and appealed to his supporters to remain calm.

Nasheed told reporters that he had been forced out of office. " There were guns all around me, and they told me they wouldn't hesitate to use them if I didn't resign," he said.

But his replacement, Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik, the former vice-president, said the transfer of power had been peaceful and constitutional.

Maldivian police said on Thursday that they had received a court order to arrest Nasheed, reports said.

The arrest order was issued following several thousand MDP supporters, led by Nasheed, marched through the streets of capital Male on Wednesday in protest at his ousting, and conducted a string of arson attacks on police stations and court houses.