Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was to address the Sri Lankan parliament during his upcoming visit to the island country, will no longer be able to do so as the foreign government has cancelled the event, citing coronavirus restrictions as the reason behind the decision.
Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage told the Daily Express that Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena asked the government to cancel the address as he could not ensure full attendance because of the pandemic.
However, another form of speculation emerged, wherein it was rumoured that the Sri Lankan government was concerned about PM Imran speaking about the rights of Muslims in Sri Lanka, who have faced abuses at the hands of Buddhist majority, rising anti-Muslim sentiments, and biased government actions.
In regard to Covid-19, it is important to mention that the compulsory cremation rule issued by the island government for the affectees of the disease had been imposed on Muslims as well.
Earlier, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had assured his Parliament that the burials victims would be allowed after a persisting campaign from Sri Lanka’s Muslim community.
To this, the premier had welcomed Rajapaksa’s statement. “We welcome Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa’s assurance given in Sri Lankan Parliament today allowing Muslims to bury those who died from Covid-19,” he had said.
However, over a week since the announcement, no reversal of the cremation law has been seen.
On the other hand, Shan Wijetunge, the parliament’s head of communications, told Arab News on Wednesday that the address has been cancelled because of the visiting premier’s demanding schedule.
To make the matter even more controversial, the Hindustan Times reported that the island government had to re-think its invite to Khan to speak in Parliament during a two-day visit as officials discussed implications of the Pakistan premier bringing up the sensitive issue of Kashmir, and how this may upset Dehli.
It is pertinent here to mention that the last foreign leader to address Sri Lanka’s Parliament was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015. Only two Pakistani leaders — President Ayub Khan (1963) and Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1975) — had addressed the Sri Lankan Parliament before.
Prime Minister Imran would have been the first world leader to visit the island nation ever since the pandemic hit last year.
The plot thicked as the Pakistani High Commission in Colombo, when contacted by an Indian publication, told The Hindu: “The PM’s address in [Sri Lankan] parliament was not confirmed in the first place, it was being discussed.”
However, Sri Lanka Speaker Abeywardena had told a party leaders’ meeting earlier this month that PM Imran would be addressing the house.
To this effect, the Department of Government Information in an itinerary dated February 16, 2021, had listed “arrival at Parliament” on February 24, along with PM Imran’s scheduled participation in a ‘Trade and Investment Conference’, and the inauguration of a Sports Institute the same day.
The premier was also expected to meet with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. President Rajapaska is familiar with Pakistan where he attended courses in military training institutions.
Both countries for decades have enjoyed a broad-based relationship on trade, commerce, culture and defence matters. Pakistan armed forces in 2009 had supported Sri Lanka by providing high tech military equipment and intelligence support in its fight against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Meanwhile, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri on Thursday said that Prime Minister Imran was scheduled to visit Sri Lanka later this month at the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart.
“The visit is likely to take place later this month,” he told media replying to a question. The spokesperson added that the two sides were currently working on the elements of the programme of the prime minister’s visit, keeping in view the Covid-19 related health safety protocols.
He said that the prime minister would be the first head of government to visit Sri Lanka after President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Rajapaksa assumed office last year, which is reflective of the importance both countries attached to this important relationship.
