Pakistan Military Chief Cancels SL Tour Due To Aluthgama Violence

Pakistan Chief of Army of Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif, who was scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on June 19 for an official visit, has postponed his tour, Asian Mirror reliably learns.

the Pakistan Embassy has informed the Sri Lankan government that the Army Chief has postponed the tour due to other commitments.

However, it is clear that the Chief of Staff has decided to postpone his tour until further notice in light of violence in Aluthgama, Beruwala and Dharga Town.

Pakistan has been a long-standing supporter of Sri Lanka on contentious issues such as alleged human rights violations. At the last UNHRC session where the US sponsored a resolution against Sri Lanka, Pakistan categorically stated that there should be no international inquiry panel on Sri Lanka.

Therefore, the postponement of Pakistan Military Chief's Sri Lanka tour becomes a matter of great importance. 

The External Affairs Ministry of Sri Lanka has still not made any official statement on the postponement of the tour.

Several Middle Eastern countries too have raised concerns over what happened in Aluthgama, Beruwala and Dharga Town in Sri Lanka.