Dawn.com :
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that his government will, if necessary, seek Pakistan’s help to trace the terrorists involved in the recent Easter Sunday bombings and eliminate them.
In an exclusive interview with the Hindustan Times published on Friday, Wickremesinghe pointed out that Pakistan had, in the past, “fully supported Sri Lanka’s war on terror”.
He added: “If necessary, we will seek their help to trace the terrorists and eliminate them. I see this tragic event as further strengthening the trust that exists between our countries and increasing cooperation.”
Read more: ‘Pakistan stands with Sri Lanka’: Qureshi calls Sri Lankan premier to condemn terrorist attacks
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said that although Sri Lanka is investigating the possibility of foreign links in the attack, there is no evidence yet to suggest that any particular country has backed the terrorists involved in the string of bombings that left approximately 250 people dead.
“All the countries in our region are faced with the same threats […] Even the best of defences can sometimes be breached by ruthless terrorists, as we have seen time and again, all over the world. Our intelligence has worked with their counterparts
[foreign intelligence agencies] abroad. But this is the first time that global terrorism has struck Sri Lanka. This is a new experience for us and we will work with our international allies to apprehend all the perpetrators,” he vowed.
The Sri Lankan premier, when asked about anti-Muslim sentiment in the country, said there had been a marked improvement since 2012-2014, when the minority community was “under pressure”. He noted that since 2015, “anti-Muslim sentiment was not allowed to raise its head”.
“There was only one unfortunate incident in Kandy, which was brought under control. They have been patient in the face of these provocations, and I must commend their political leaders for maintaining inter-religious harmony,” he said.
“But again, the wave of anti-Muslim sentiment spreading across the liberal world and our region, has had some impact on Sri Lanka as well. We must provide constitutional guarantees to every community to coexist within one Sri Lanka,” he asserted.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that his government will, if necessary, seek Pakistan’s help to trace the terrorists involved in the recent Easter Sunday bombings and eliminate them.
In an exclusive interview with the Hindustan Times published on Friday, Wickremesinghe pointed out that Pakistan had, in the past, “fully supported Sri Lanka’s war on terror”.
He added: “If necessary, we will seek their help to trace the terrorists and eliminate them. I see this tragic event as further strengthening the trust that exists between our countries and increasing cooperation.”
Read more: ‘Pakistan stands with Sri Lanka’: Qureshi calls Sri Lankan premier to condemn terrorist attacks
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said that although Sri Lanka is investigating the possibility of foreign links in the attack, there is no evidence yet to suggest that any particular country has backed the terrorists involved in the string of bombings that left approximately 250 people dead.
“All the countries in our region are faced with the same threats […] Even the best of defences can sometimes be breached by ruthless terrorists, as we have seen time and again, all over the world. Our intelligence has worked with their counterparts
[foreign intelligence agencies] abroad. But this is the first time that global terrorism has struck Sri Lanka. This is a new experience for us and we will work with our international allies to apprehend all the perpetrators,” he vowed.
The Sri Lankan premier, when asked about anti-Muslim sentiment in the country, said there had been a marked improvement since 2012-2014, when the minority community was “under pressure”. He noted that since 2015, “anti-Muslim sentiment was not allowed to raise its head”.
“There was only one unfortunate incident in Kandy, which was brought under control. They have been patient in the face of these provocations, and I must commend their political leaders for maintaining inter-religious harmony,” he said.
“But again, the wave of anti-Muslim sentiment spreading across the liberal world and our region, has had some impact on Sri Lanka as well. We must provide constitutional guarantees to every community to coexist within one Sri Lanka,” he asserted.
