Sri Lanka has become one of the first countries to officially recognize the Taliban government, which is once again spreading inhumane power in Afghanistan.
Sri Lanka’s foreign minister has issued a statement calling for the security, protection and dignity of all people in Afghanistan.
‘BBC Sinhala’ states “The Sri Lankan government has acknowledged the authority of the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban in Afghanistan and welcomed the “general amnesty” granted by the organization to foreigners in the country. As a member of SAARC, Sri Lanka is ready to play its role in assisting in any regional effort in this regard.
“Now that the Taliban are in power, the Government of Sri Lanka calls for the establishment of law and order and for the security, protection and dignity of all the people of Afghanistan,” the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The Foreign Ministry said the Sri Lankan government was pleased with the Taliban’s amnesty and called on the Taliban to “continue to honour” their commitment to the promise not to harm any foreigners.
However, international relations experts told the BBC Sinhala Service that it was not clear why a foreigner legally residing in Afghanistan should ask the Taliban for a pardon.
Following the meeting with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the High Commissioner of Afghanistan stated that given the recent developments in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka had pledged its full support to him and Afghanistan in line with the strong Afghanistan-Sri Lanka friendship and the growing bilateral relations.
Read the analysis of the BBC’s response to that recognition here.
