News

Pakistan H C reiterates pledges made by PM Imran Khan to enhance ties with Sri Lanka

Published

2 years ago

2021/07/14

High Commissioner Maj. Gen. Muhammad Saad Khattak and Deputy High Commissioner Tanvir Ahmad at the press briefing held at the High Commission (pic by Nimal Dayaratne)

By Ifham Nizam

The Pakistan High Commission in Colombo yesterday reassured that Pakistan would strengthen and enhance ties between the two countries as spelt out by their Prime Minister Imran Khan during his recent visit to Sri Lanka.

Pakistan High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Maj. Gen. (retd.) Muhammad Saad Khattak said Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa would grace the occasion when a high level delegation of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce visits here shortly for a confab.

Speaking to journalists, High Commissioner Khattak stressed that they would shift policies of geopolitics to geo-economics to enhance mutual trade benefits and bilateral trade, he added.

He recalled that the Pakistan Prime Minister had promised to find ways and means of promoting trade and connectivity with Sri Lanka, focusing on economics, social and academic ties.

The High Commissioner also said that rather than focusing on religious tourism alone there were plenty of others areas to explore.

Answering queries on Pakistan’s relief assistance to the people affected by floods, torrential rains, landslides and the Covid-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, the High Commissioner said he had visited Anuradhapura, Kilinochchi, Arugam Bay and distributed dry rations among the affected families.

The High Commissioner said they would also focus on infrastructure development and poverty alleviation programmes in the affected areas.

Some people were not aware of the offers when it came to education and economic development, the envoy noted, adding that about 1,000 scholarships were on offer for Sri Lankans and 100 for medicine.

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Stay on course and don’t go back to the past – Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy

Published

4 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

Former Governor of the Central Bank delivering the keynote address at a high profile Webinar hosted by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (24) said that Sri Lanka must implement the structural reforms proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) without relaxing like in the past or else we will be in a deeper economic mess.

The webinar was titled ‘What is next for Sri Lanka in the wake of the IMF programme’

News

Sustainable economic development goals cannot be achieved unless attention is paid to mitigating climate change – Sagala Ratnayake

Published

4 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

President’s Senior Adviser on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayake said sustainable economic development goals cannot be accomplished without taking steps to mitigate climate change.

He said this while participating in the 10,000 sapling planting program organized by the LEO Youth Vision 2048 Club and the LEO Club at the Royal College, Colombo on Thursday (23rd).

This program was organized in view of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s birthday, which is today (24), and the required plants were distributed to the main schools of the Colombo District.

News

SF claims thousands of police and military personnel leaving

Published

16 hours ago

2023/03/24

Thilina Walpola

By Saman Indrajith

Thousands of police and military personnel had left the services recently as they did not want to carry out illegal orders, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told Parliament yesterday. According to the war-winning army commander 200 policemen have resigned during the past two months and 25,000 soldiers have left the army during the last two years.

“We urged the law enforcement and military officials not to follow illegal orders. We will reinstate them with back pay,” he said.

Fonseka also urged the President and the government MPs not to take people for fools.

“Sri Lanka owes 55 billion dollars to the world. Ranil’s plan is to borrow another seven billion during the next four years. So, in four years we will owe 62 billion to the world.

Ranil and his ministers ask us what the alternative to borrowing is. These are the people who destroyed the economy and society. They must leave. Then, we will find an alternative and develop the country,” he said, adding that the IMF loans had made crises in other nations worse.

“Ranil says that by 2025, we will have a budget surplus as in Japan, Germany and South Korea. These countries are economic power houses, and this comparison is ludicrous.”