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Khan raises burial, GoSL response “positive"

25 Feb 2021

  • Pak PM raised matter unprompted: Mujibur 

  • Political approval granted, but not health approval: PM’s office 

  • Opp Leader too discussed issue with Khan 

  Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has received “positive” responses from both President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa when he had raised the issue of not allowing the bodies of Muslim Covid-19 victims to be buried, The Morning learnt.  Premier Khan had received this response during his meetings with President Rajapaksa and his counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa.  Speaking to The Morning, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Mujibur Rahman said yesterday (24) that Prime Minister Khan had informed this to Government and Opposition Muslim MPs when he met them yesterday.  “Khan said that he received positive responses from the President and Prime Minister when he raised the issue of the mandatory cremation of Muslim Covid-19 deceased, with them. It was indicated that the President and Prime Minister had said that it would be allowed.”  Rahman said that Khan had said that the fact that the burial of Covid-19 victims is not allowed in Sri Lanka when other countries has allowed it, is an issue.  When the Prime Minister’s Media Secretary Rohan Weliwita was contacted regarding the “positive response” conveyed by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Weliwita said that the President and the Prime Minister are of the political stance that the burial of Covid-19 victims should be allowed but that the final decision is in the hands of the health authorities.  “Politically, the President and the Premier are of the stance that burials should be allowed. But the final decision should be taken by health authorities and the scientific advisory committees.”  When inquired from the President’s Media Director Mohan Karunaratne as to whether the issue of burial was discussed between the Leaders of the two countries, he said that the official media release made by the President’s Media Division covered the matters discussed and that there would be no further comment. The media release did not list that the burial issue was discussed.  Meanwhile, The Morning also learnt that Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa has conveyed to Prime Minister Khan that the SJB has taken the correct stance regarding the issue of burying Covid-19 victims. This had been conveyed at an audience Prime Minister Khan had had with Premadasa and SJB MPs Kabir Hashim and Imtiaz Bakeer Marker.  Speaking to The Morning yesterday, Bakeer Marker said that Premadasa had told that decisions regarding the matter must be taken based on scientific evidence and not politics.  “Premadasa said that the SJB is not afraid to take the correct stance in these matters and that the SJB has stood up for these issues in Parliament and outside of it.”  A statement made by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in Parliament on 10 February that burials would be allowed was welcomed by Premier Khan. However, no further action was taken by the health authorities to legally allow the burial of Covid-19 victims.  Meanwhile, the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), while addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council Session yesterday, condemned the Government of Sri Lanka’s stance on the mandatory cremation of the bodies of Covid-19 victims, stating that it discriminates against the Muslim community in the country.


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