Tag: Sri Lankan

  • Sri Lankan president to step down after massive protests

    Sri Lankan president to step down after massive protests

    Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has decided to step down amid the ongoing protests against the economic crisis the country is facing. His resignation has been sent to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

    “Rajapaksa has officially informed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that he will be resigning as previously announced,” read a statement from the prime minister’s office.

    However, the whereabouts of the president are unknown.

    His resignation came after a large-scale demonstration that took place on Saturday, during which hundreds of thousands of people poured into Colombo and occupied the president’s residence and office, and prime minister’s residence.

    Protesters sang and lit fireworks in the streets to welcome the announcement.

  • Protests mounting as Lankan president loses majority

    The embattled Sri Lankan president lost majority in parliamentary as former allies have urged his resignation in the wake of raging street protests over the island nation’s crippling economic crisis.

    Unprecedented shortages of food and fuel along with record inflation and blackouts have inflicted widespread misery in the country’s most painful downturn since independence from Britain in 1948.

    Once-powerful ruling coalition of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is in turmoil after a string of defections and the new finance minister’s resignation just one day after taking office.

    On the other hand, anti-Rajapaksa demonstrations continued for a fifth straight day and the government warned of retaliation if rallies turned violent.

    “Security forces will not hesitate to enforce the law against those involved in violence,” defence ministry secretary Kamal Gunaratne said in a statement.

    More than 60 people had been arrested in connection with unrest since Friday and many have said they were tortured in police custody.

    The UN Human Rights Council said it was closely watching the deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka, which is already facing international censure over its human rights record.

    “The drift towards militarisation and the weakening of institutional checks and balances in Sri Lanka have affected the state’s ability to effectively tackle the economic crisis,” the UNHRC said.

  • Australia’s Steve Smith becomes fastest cricketer to score 8,000 Test runs

    Australia’s Steve Smith becomes fastest cricketer to score 8,000 Test runs

    Australian batter Steve Smith has become the fastest cricketer to reach 8,000 runs in Test cricket. Smith made the record in 151 innings. He made the record in the ongoing third Test between Pakistan and Australia

    Smith eclipsed Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara, who reached the mark in his 152nd innings.

    Among other Australians to pass 8,000 Test runs, Smith soared past Matthew Hayden (164 innings), Ricky Ponting (165), Michael Clarke (172), Allan Border (184) and Steve Waugh (194).

    Smith is the 33rd batsman in the world and seventh from Australia to score 8,000-plus runs.

    Smith made his Test debut against Pakistan at Lords in 2010.

  • Killing over unsubstantiated blasphemy accusations is not permissible: Ulema

    Killing over unsubstantiated blasphemy accusations is not permissible: Ulema

    Pakistani ulema in their Friday sermons strongly condemned the recent lynching of a Sri Lankan national in Sialkot and said the killing of any person over unsubstantiated blasphemy accusations is not permissible.

    The ‘day of condemnation’ was observed in mosques across the country on Friday.

    According to the ulema, the courts have the authority to punish the perpetrator of blasphemy. Taking the law into one’s hands is not allowed according to Shariah and law of the land.

    Special Representative of the Prime Minister on Reli­gious Harmony Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi said the lynching of the Sri Lankan national had embarrassed the entire nation. Elements involved in making blasphemy allegations for their vested objectives would also be punished under the blasphemy law, he added.

  • ‘Will not spare anyone who uses religion for committing inhuman act’: PM Khan

    ‘Will not spare anyone who uses religion for committing inhuman act’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that from now on, no one will be spared who resorts to violence in the name of religion.

    PM Khan made these comments during an event that was being held in solidarity with Kumara’s family and the Sri Lankan nation and government.

    PM Imran had taken notice of Malik Adnan — Kumara’s colleague who had tried to save his life — and lauded Adnan for his “moral courage and bravery” on Sunday. He had also announced that Adnan would be honoured with the Tamgha-i-Shujaat.

    The ceremony was held to honour Adnan.

    Appreciating the efforts of Adnan, PM Khan said, “Role models are important in the country because people follow them,” adding that “moral power is greater than physical power”.

    “I am sure our youth will remember the way Malik Adnan stood up against those beasts.”

    The prime minister said that he established the Rehmatul-lil-Alameen Authority so that the entire nation could follow in the footsteps of Holy Prophet (PBUH).

    “But we are heading in a different direction,” he said as he called on the nation to read up on the life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

    “Our country is the only one that was built in the name of Islam. But this incident has brought us embarrassment,” he said, adding that he received many messages from those living abroad.

    “People who are based overseas do not know what Islam is, and they distance themselves from the religion after seeing such incidents take place.”

  • ‘Murders happen when young people get emotional’: Pervez Khattak says govt shouldn’t be blamed for Sialkot lynching

    ‘Murders happen when young people get emotional’: Pervez Khattak says govt shouldn’t be blamed for Sialkot lynching

    Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, while talking to the media in Peshawar, said that the horrific lynching of a Sri Lankan man at the hands of a mob in Sialkot should not be linked to the government, adding even “murders take place” when young people get emotional.

    A reporter questioned Khattak that the Sialkot killing had taken place after the government lifted the ban on the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), and asked Khattak whether the government was considering an “effective crackdown” against such groups.

    “You know the reasons [behind this incident] too. When children … grow up, they become spirited and do things out of emotions. This does not mean ‘this was the result of that action’,” responded Khattak, adding that in Sialkot some young men had gathered and accused Priyantha Kumara [Sri Lankan factory manager] of disrespecting Islam.

    Khattak said he too could do something wrong in a state of heightened emotions and added that such incidents did not mean “Pakistan is going towards destruction”.

    A reporter asked the minister whether he was attributing the murders of nine policemen by TLP protesters as well as that of Kumara to “emotions”.

    Reiterating his argument, Khattak said boys entering adulthood are “ready to do anything” and learn with age how to control their emotions. “So this happens among kids, fights take place and even murders. [Does] this mean it is the government’s fault?”

    “Why don’t you change this mindset? Your anchors should come on TV and make the children understand their religion. You only take advertisements and earn money,” added Khattak.

    Twitterati reacted to Khattak’s comments.

    Journalist Nasim Zehra tweeted, “Either he should apologise & withdraw this statement or he should resign from his post … it’s minds like his that mislead, that poison the young and the innocent..watch his disservice to both Islam and to Pak.”

    Journalist Saadia Afzal tweeted, “We are where we are because of such sorry state of affairs. This is our defence minister shamelessly justifying the incident. He should be sacked immediately.”

    Another person tweeted, “Oversimplify, justify and dehumanise!”

    https://twitter.com/zehrakamal/status/1467639479108190209
  • Imagine the horror

    Imagine the horror

    Imagine a mob so ruthless, so violent, so remorseless that first, they kill an innocent man for tearing down a poster with religious text on it, then they burn the body in front of hundreds of people and several cameras because somehow their thirst for blood was not enough so now they had to humiliate a dead body. And then some of them had the audacity to take selfies with the burning body. All because he did something without even realising that he could be lynched to death for it. 

    Imagine that this man was a foreign national — a Sri Lankan — working as a factory manager in Sialkot, and whose wife heard about this most tragic incident from news and the internet. Imagine his wife’s shock and horror. Imagine the bereaved widow looking at those videos, those gruesome images, those murderers taking pride in killing her husband. Imagine her helplessness. Imagine that this man has two young children, nine and 14 respectively, who will have to live with this fact for the rest of their lives that their father was killed, nay lynched, by a frenzied mob in Pakistan. 

    Imagine that we live in a country where every other day is a ‘black day’, where every other incident is bone-chilling, where no one is safe, where so many horrors unfold that we move on from one terrifying incident to another and forget about the previous one. What have we become? How have we come to this point? Will our state introspect that our society has become so intolerant that it cannot even protect anyone? Will our state realise how extremism has permeated our society because it has been officially sanctioned through our policies? It is the responsibility of the state to protect the lives of every human being. The misuse of religion for political benefit, the misuse of religion for some vested interest, or allowing the misuse of religion for some external policy will eventually have consequences. And those are the consequences that we are facing every day. There are no words to express what this country is going through — those at the helm of the affairs have to now challenge this extremist ideology or the path ahead is very dark. And every second will then be dark and there will be no turning back. Let people live without fear. A society that has to look over its shoulders all the time cannot progress.

  • ‘Confident that PM Khan will keep his commitment to bring justice’: Sri Lankan PM

    ‘Confident that PM Khan will keep his commitment to bring justice’: Sri Lankan PM

    Sri Lankan Prime Minister (PM) Mahinda Rajapaksa expressed shock at the brutal Sialkot lynching of a Sri Lankan national but expressed confidence in PM Imran Khan’s commitment to punishing all those involved.

    PM Mahinda Rajapaksa took to Twitter and wrote, “Shocking to see the brutal and fatal attack on Priyantha Diyawadana by extremist mobs in #Pakistan. My heart goes out to his wife and family.”

    He said that Sri Lanka and her people are confident that PM Imran Khan will keep to his commitment to bring all those involved to justice.

    Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said he is in contact with his Sri Lankan counterpart and has assured him of justice to the victim’s family.

    “Sri Lanka has appreciated Pakistan’s response towards the incident,” Qureshi said, adding that the family has also been approached and “we will satisfy them completely”.

    Priyantha Kumara, working as a manager at a private factory in Sialkot, was tortured to death on Friday by a mob after being accused of blasphemy.