ISLAMABAD – Sri Lanka has cancelled Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address in that country’s parliament ahead of his visit to Colombo this month.
- PM Imran to visit Sri Lanka on Feb 22, 2021
- Meetings to be held with PM and President of Sri Lanka
- Reports indicating cancellation due to Covid-19 restrictions
- Unnamed sources claim Sri Lanka cancelled over fears of ruining ties between India and Sri Lanka
PM Imran, who is the first Head of Government to visit Sri Lanka after the pandemic hit the world last year, is scheduled to travel to the island on a two-day trip from Feb 22.
Besides his meetings with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and attending an investors’ conference, he was to address the Sri Lankan parliament on Feb 24.
Senior government officials have cited “COVID-19 constraints” for the decision, even as the itinerary issued by the Department of Government Information — dated February 16, 2021 – listed “arrival at Parliament” on February 24, along with PM Imran Khan’s scheduled participation in a ‘Trade and Investment Conference’, and the inauguration of a Sports Institute the same day. Media reports from Sri Lanka give different reasons for the cancellation of Pakistani premier’s address.
Sri Lanka’s daily Express quoted Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage as having said that Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena had requested for cancellation on the pretext of Covid-19.
However, the same newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying that there were elements within the Sri Lankan government, who did not want the speech to take place as they feared that doing so could further harm ties with India, which have already been strained after the cancellation of a deal over the East Container Terminal in Colombo port.
It was expected that PM Imran would raise the Kashmir issue during his speech, which could have upset Delhi.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has not yet responded to the development.
The last foreign leader to address Sri Lankan Parliament was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to the island nation in 2015. Pakistani leaders, including Presidents Mohamed Ayub Khan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, addressed the Sri Lankan Parliament in 1963 and 1975.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Thai PMs Thaksin Shinawatra and Yingluck Shinawatra also spoke at the House.
