Sri Lanka should not recognise Taliban rule: Ranil Wickremesinghe

The former Sri Lankan prime minister advocated the snapping of diplomatic relations with Afghanistan by recalling the Lankan embassy presence there.

Former Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has cautioned the government against recognising Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan and advocated snapping of ties with Kabul, saying one should rethink if the country should be a “party to help terrorism” raise its head in the region. In a statement issued on Thursday, the four-time former prime minister said: “Everyone fears that Afghanistan would become a centre of jihadi terrorist groups under the Taliban rule.” “No one could condone their action to threaten states and people. Their ideology based on a wrong interpretation of the Quran is a threat to conventional Islamic states and other nations,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said. “There are no justifiable reasons for us to recognise a Taliban rule,” he added.