Islamabad establishes close rapport with Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 February 2020, 23:00 GMT]
Pakistan’s High Commissioner, Muhammad Saad Khattak, a retired Major General, has met SL President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, extending Pakistan’s “cooperation in defense, trade, people-to-people relations, countering extremism, promoting religious harmony and in any other area Sri Lanka would need,” reported SL State-owned newspaper Daily News on Monday. In the meantime, informed sources in Colombo said SL President has promised to promote South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in favour of Pakistan, through the new Secretary-General of the SAARC, Esala Weerakoon. India wants Colombo to work more closely with BIMSTEC and in a trilateral maritime security programme, also involving the Maldives.

The SL State-owned media, as well as corporate-owned proxy news agencies, are promoting reports on Russian, Pakistani, French and Zambia showing interest in the “multipolar” and “independent” foreign policy of the unitary state of genocidal Sri Lanka under SL President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

In December 2019, Pakistan dispatched its Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to Colombo, extending an invitation to Mr Gotabaya to visit Pakistan.

Earlier this month, Pakistan Air Force Chief Air Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan arrived in the island to meet Mr Gotabaya with a delegation.

Later, in recognition of the close military ties between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the Pakistan Air Force Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan visited Sri Lanka.

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