Sri Lanka’s Muslim community is hopeful that Prime Minister Imran Khan willhighlight their plight during his visit to the country later this month.
Muslims in Sri Lanka have been facing discrimination at workplaces,hospitals, and public transport since the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019which resulted in the death of over 250 people.——————————
Muslims account for 10% of Sri Lanka’s population of 22 million, which ismostly Buddhist. After 2019, Buddhist right-wing groups, led by the BoduBala Sena (BBS), have taken a hardline against the Muslims living in SriLanka.
PM Imran will arrive in Sri Lanka on 23 February. During the two-day visit,the premier will call on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime MinisterMahinda Rajapaksa, and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.
He will also address the Lankan parliament- only the third Pakistani headof state to do so after former President General Ayub Khan in 1953 and PMZulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1973.——————————
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President of the Sri Lanka Muslim Council, N. M. Ameen, has said that theMuslim community is set to warmly welcome a great Muslim leader who isvisiting the country for the first time after becoming the Prime Minister,adding that the council hopes Imran Khan to speak on behalf of the SriLankan Muslims.
Earlier this week, Rishath Bathuideen, a former minister and leader of theAll-Ceylon Makkal Congress, a Muslim political party, also called on thecharge d’affaires of the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo and expressedthe concerns of the Muslim community.
