PM Imran's address in Sri Lankan parliament cancelled

COLOMBO: The scheduled address of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Sri Lanka’s Parliament next week has been cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions.

The news was confirmed by the Sri Lankan publication where Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage said Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena had asked the government to cancel the address as he could not ensure full attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The paper also quoted Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena saying that Colombo had added PM Imran Khan’s address at the request of Islamabad. The sources of the newspaper also reported that the address could have also been cancelled due to fears of certain government officials that it might ‘affect’ ties with India.

Senior government officials have cited COVID-19 constraints for the decision even though the itinerary issued by the Department of Government Information listed arrival at Parliament on February 24.

PM Imran Khan along is also scheduled to participation in a Trade and Investment Conference and the inauguration of a Sports Institute the same day. Amid a surge of infections in the country, Sri Lanka began a vaccination drive for parliamentarians on Tuesday.

The prime minister is the first Head of Government to visit Sri Lanka after the pandemic hit the world last year, and is expected to arrive on February 23.

A spokesperson at the Pakistani High Commission in Colombo told an Indian media outlet that the prime minister’s address to Sri Lankan Parliament was not confirmed in the first place and was being discussed.

Sri Lanka’s Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena had told a meeting of party leaders earlier this month that Imran Khan would be addressing the parliament.

The last foreign leader to address Sri Lankan Parliament was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to the island nation in 2015. The cancelled address was scheduled to take place next week on 24th February as part of the two-day trip of the prime minister.

Last week, it was reported that PM Khan will pay a two-day visit to Sri Lanka at the end of the month. The prime minister is expected to arrive in Colombo on 22nd February where he will be meeting Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.