President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has expressed his support for India in a phone call to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the terrorist attack that killed 26 people in the Indian-administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir early last week.
In the call made last Friday, President Dissanayake had stated that Sri Lanka stands with India. Although Sri Lanka’s policy is to remain neutral in such a crisis in the region, political sources say that some problems may arise due to the agreements recently signed by the current government with India.
Although opposition political groups have demanded that the security agreement signed with India be presented to the Sri Lankan Parliament, Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has said that India’s consent must be obtained for this.
India has already taken retaliatory measures, including cutting off water from the Indus River to Pakistan. The United Nations has urged both countries to exercise “maximum restraint.”
India has suspended visas for Pakistani tourists and closed road links between the two countries.