Sri Lanka is unaware of an alert from Pakistan prior to the Easter Sunday attacks.
The Pakistan High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Maj.Gen (Rtd) Muhammad Saad Khattak had told a private television station that Pakistan had alerted Sri Lanka of a plot to launch attacks on Easter Sunday.
He said that however no follow up action was taken by the Sri Lankan Government at the time.
However, then State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene said that he was not aware of such a warning received from Pakistan.
Wijewardene told Colombo Gazette that the only alert they received was from India.
“Following the Easter Sunday terror attacks in 2019, the Intelligence Unit informed me of a warning from India, but nothing related to Pakistan” he said.
Then President Maithripala Sirisena and then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had said they were not alerted by local intelligence agencies about the plot to attack hotels and churches.
Over 250 individuals were killed and over 500 injured in multiple bombings targeting hotels and churches across Sri Lanka on 21 April 2019.
The attack was carried out by a local group which had the support of the Islamic State.
Courtesy: Colombo Gazette
