ISLAMABAD: Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda
Rajapaksa said Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s mutual relationship is sustain
ed by cultural heritage,
economies, and a joint stand on international issues.
“We are grateful for the unconditional and steadfast support we received from Pakistan. It is a matter of deep satisfaction that I was able to raise Sri Lanka’s voice with Pakistan. They have stood by us through thick and thin,” he said.
He was speaking at an event organis
ed by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Global Village Space (GVS). The topic of the talk was “Sri Lanka’s Struggle for Peace and its Lessons for Pakistan and the Region.” The event was chair
ed by Lt Gen (r) Asif Yasin Malik. He said Pakistan has a lot to learn about peace-building from Sri Lanka, and there are a lot of parallels between the situations in the two countries vis-à-vis te
rrorism.
In her introductory remarks, former ambassador to Sri Lanka Seema Baloch s
aid that the Sri Lankan government took decisive action against te
rrorism. Following its success, Sri Lanka began to open its routes and increasingly integrate with the international community.
“His Excellency is a leader of the masses,” she said while introducing
Rajapaksa.
Speaking on the issue of human rights, she said, “In some cases we describe the lives of others as collateral damage and in other cases we emphasize it as civilian casualty.”
In his comments,
Rajapaksa s
aid there is no distinction between te
rrorists, mirroring the good vs the bad Taliban debate in Pakistan. He s
aid that te
rrorism is against the spirit of humanity and no country can prosper if people are compelled to live their lives under fear. In the case of Sri Lanka, the armed forces provided unrelenting support, back
ed by actual and concrete actions on the part of the government. It was a difficult task, one that could not be possible without public buy-in. Successful anti-te
rrorism operations depends as much on internal factors as they do on external factors. Public education and support is necessary to thwart any sympathy or help for the enemy. There is no room for hypocrisy or double-dealing, he stressed.
He added, “We must learn from one another, be productive and provide practical solutions.”
He stressed on the need for more such dialogues and platforms to better understand te
rrorism and employ measures to combat it and achieve peace in the region.
Published in Daily Times, June 22nd, 2017.
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