Supporters of Imran Khan were planning to march to Islamabad on Wednesday where the former Pakistan prime minister is in custody in a corruption case, raising fears of more clashes with security forces.

Mobile data services in the country were shut while Twitter, YouTube and Facebook were disrupted. Television carried watered-down coverage of violence that erupted on Tuesday.

Authorities in three of Pakistan’s four provinces have imposed an emergency order banning all gatherings after Khan’s supporters clashed with police.

Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday by Pakistan’s anti-corruption agency. Police said a court hearing would take place at the police guest house where he is being held.

The arrest came a day after the country’s powerful military rebuked Khan for repeatedly accusing a senior military officer of trying to engineer his assassination and the former armed forces chief of being behind his removal from power last year.

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told broadcaster Geo News on Wednesday that the protests were not a public response to Khan’s arrest but a planned move by his party.

Her remarks came after Khan’s supporters clashed with police in many cities on Tuesday and stormed military buildings in Lahore and Rawalpindi, according to witnesses and videos shared by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which has called for a “shutdown” across the country.

“Scores of buildings were set on fire … they attacked official buildings and private houses,” Aurangzeb said.

Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper said in an editorial on Wednesday that “the nature and locus of the protests that broke out following Mr Khan’s arrest yesterday signal that public anger is also directed at the military”.

Khan will appear for two hearings on Wednesday, Geo News reported, including for a corruption case related to property and another case that alleges Khan unlawfully sold state gifts during his 2018-22 tenure as premier.

His arrest threatens to worsen political turmoil in the nuclear-armed country of 220 million people that is struggling with its worst economic crisis in decades with record high inflation and depleting foreign exchange reserves.

SUPREME COURT CHALLENGE

An International Monetary Fund bailout package has been delayed for months even though foreign exchange reserves are barely enough to cover a month’s imports.

Khan’s supporters in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were asked to gather early on Wednesday in Swabi city to leave for Islamabad as part of a convoy, his party wrote on Twitter.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the party’s senior leadership was in Islamabad to meet Khan and will approach the Supreme Court to challenge an Islamabad High Court order that deemed Khan’s arrest legal.

“We continue to call PTI family workers, supporters and the people of Pakistan onto the streets for peaceful protest against this unconstitutional behaviour,” Qureshi wrote on Twitter.

Following Tuesday’s protests, Canada has asked its citizens to exercise a “high degree of caution” in travel to Pakistan while the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad has cancelled all consular appointments on Wednesday.

A police spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday that Khan will not be brought to court and his scheduled hearing will take place at the location where he is being held under custody in the Islamabad police lines area.

At least one person was killed on Tuesday and 12 others injured, including six police officers, in clashes in the southern city of Quetta, provincial home minister Ziaullah Langove said.

The protests have disrupted business in several cities. In Peshawar, chicken seller Malagul Khan said his shop and others were destroyed in the clashes.

Raja Imran, 25, also a Peshawar resident, said, “There is total chaos across the country … There are exams going on and school children will suffer”.

Khan, 70, a cricket hero-turned-politician, was ousted as prime minister in April 2022 in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. Khan has not slowed his campaign against the ouster even though he was wounded in a November attack on his convoy as he led a protest march to Islamabad calling for snap general elections.

The corruption case is one of more than 100 registered against Khan since his ouster after four years in power. In most of the cases, Khan faces being barred from holding public office if convicted, with a national election scheduled for November.

Source: Reuters

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced that a team of its staff will be visiting Sri Lanka from May 11 to May 23. This visit is a part of the regular consultations between the global lender and the island nation, in preparation for the first review mission later this year.

Krishna Srinivasan, the Director of IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, will be joining the team for this visit. The purpose of the visit is to engage in discussions with Sri Lankan authorities and stakeholders to assess the country’s economic and financial situation, as well as to provide guidance and support.

The IMF plays a crucial role in assisting countries with their economic policies, financial stability, and growth prospects. These consultations and review missions serve as opportunities for the IMF to evaluate the progress made by the country and to offer recommendations for future policy actions.

During the visit, the IMF team will meet with government officials, central bank representatives, and other relevant stakeholders to gather information, analyze data, and hold discussions on a wide range of economic and financial topics. This includes assessing the implementation of economic reforms, fiscal policies, monetary measures, and structural reforms aimed at promoting sustainable economic growth.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has taken strict action against banks for their non-compliance with the provisions of the Financial Transactions Reporting Act, No. 6 of 2006 (FTRA). In a recent statement, the CBSL announced that it has imposed financial penalties on six banks as a consequence.

During the period from 17th November 2022 to 31st March 2023, fines totaling Rs. 5.5 million were collected from these banks to ensure compliance with the regulations set forth by the Financial Transactions Reporting Act.

According to the CBSL, the Pradeshiya Sanwardhana Bank faced a penalty of Rs. 500,000, while the fines imposed on HDFC Bank, Seylan Bank, Sampath Bank, Hatton National Bank, and People’s Bank amounted to Rs. 1 million each.

The Financial Transactions Reporting Act (FTRA) aims to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other illicit activities by establishing robust mechanisms for reporting and monitoring financial transactions. It is crucial for financial institutions to adhere to the guidelines and provisions outlined in this act to maintain the integrity of the financial system.

The Central Bank’s firm stance on enforcing compliance reflects its commitment to safeguarding the country’s financial sector and preventing illegal activities. The penalties imposed on these banks serve as a reminder to all financial institutions to diligently adhere to the regulations stipulated by the FTRA.

The CBSL’s actions demonstrate its dedication to maintaining transparency and accountability within the banking industry. By enforcing penalties for non-compliance, the Central Bank aims to promote a culture of responsible financial practices and ensure the overall stability and security of Sri Lanka’s financial system.

By Krishantha Prasad Cooray

There are three things that matter when it comes to air travel. Punctuality, baggage not being lost and inflight comfort.

There’s been a lot of chatter recently on the national carrier Sri Lankan and I want to add my own experience in the interest of the silent majority. Too often the opinion of a single traveller, when voiced aloud on the internet, is taken to be the general perception of all. This is far from the truth.

There’s something I learnt when I spoke about my personal experience with SriLankan Airlines pilot Capt Rajind Ranatunga, one of the proudest employees of the national carrier. Typically, he said, much noise is made when there’s a bad experience but those who have nothing to complain about or felt that the entire experience was as good as in any other airline would at best say ‘thank you.’ They don’t whip out their smart phones and hammer out a story as though they’ve been appointed to represent all the passengers. I belong to this category of passengers.
Therefore, I caution the reader not to extrapolate. This is my story and I speak for myself.

I boarded a SriLankan flight UL 318 from Colombo to Malaysia few days ago. The check-in process was as smooth as in any other airline counter, but the SriLankan-managed lounge experience was a cut above the rest. Excellent cuisine, good ambience and everything, washrooms included all spick and span. I mentioned restrooms because I am a firm believer that the status of such facilities says a lot about an organisation. Furthermore, someone traveling with his wife and two young daughters does tend to notice anything that’s even slightly askew. I did not.
The flight left and arrived on time. We all had a very good onboard experience. The food and the service were excellent. The cabin crew was particularly nice to children, I noticed with much appreciation.

We were not kept waiting at the baggage carousals. We picked up our luggage and reached our destination much earlier than expected.

I might have considered the possibility that my positive experience was an exception after reading some negative comments about the airline, except that I have never had any issue with SriLankan Airlines. I haven’t forgotten either the fact that in 2018 and 2019 SriLankan was considered the most punctual airline in the world.

This obviously does not mean that excellence in all things is the norm at SriLankan Airlines. There’s always room for improvement. Those who complain obviously had reason to do so. The airline should address these issues promptly and take measure to ensure that whatever it was that bothered the particular passenger does not arise thereafter.

The airline has been hampered in the past by political interference. In this context, it was heartening to see one of the Board Directors, Dr Hans Wijayasuriya, traveling on the same flight like just another passenger without being accorded any special privileges; just the courtesies offered to the rest of the passengers, as should be the case always.

I also recalled the time when business tycoon Harry Jayawardena was Chairman of SriLankan Airlines. Those ‘golden days’ are still talked of by employees, for it was a time when the airline not only made profits but was able to grant bonuses to the staff.

SriLankan, in my opinion, with the right management team can achieve those standards and improve on them. Indeed, the airline would do well to set itself a target of not leaving any room for anyone to complain, not even a random, ill-tempered passenger who is having a bad day.

For now, I have no complaints and I wish them well.

1. India extends a US$ 1 billion credit line for Sri Lanka by one year, as part of about US$ 4 billion in emergency assistance: Deputy Treasury Secretary Priyantha Ratnayake says post negotiations, the credit line was extended until March 2024.
2. President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake on the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe informs all Provincial Secretaries in writing to take all precautionary measures to prevent the spread of dengue: Armed Forces and Police instructed to extend their fullest cooperation to the Chief Secretaries in accordance with the requirements of the Dengue Control Programme.
3. The Committee on Parliamentary Business decides to hold a two-day adjournment debate on the MV X-Press Pearl maritime disaster: Debate to be held today, May 10 and tomorrow, May 11, from 9.30 am to 6 pm.
4. Speaker informs Parliament the Supreme Court cleared the way for the House to decriminalise same-sex relationships through a simple majority, as the proposal to add amendments to the Penal Code decriminalising same-sex relationships is “consistent with the Constitution.”
5. Chairman of City Construction Pvt. Ltd. and Chairman of Ocean Edge Suites and Hotels in Colombo Priyank Gupta says Sri Lanka tourism can attract over 3 million tourist arrivals from India alone if proper focused promotions are done to India; asserts to achieve this Sri Lanka does not have to offer free visas on arrivals, nor host regular mega road shows spending millions of rupees; adds a move to make Indian Rupee accepted in the island too would increase Indian arrivals.
6. Australia deports 41 Sri Lankans after attempting to enter Australia illegally: Majority of the deportees are reportedly residents of Jaffna and Valachchenai, who had entered the Australian maritime border using multi-day fishing vessels.
7. Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena says the Fiscal Management (responsibility) Act No. 3 of 2003 could have successfully curbed the financial crisis, but because of several amendments, the budget gap has risen to 10-12% and state debt to over 125% of GDP and guarantees for state debt up to 15%; adds the new Financial Management Act has been approved by the Cabinet to ‘correct’ the situation.
8. Sri Lanka’s creditor nations hold their first meeting Tuesday online to coordinate restructuring the island nation’s debt: The creditors hope it will serve as a model to resolve the debt difficulties of middle-income economies: Sri Lanka owes US$ 7.1 billion to bilateral creditors, with US$ 3 billion owed to China, US$ 2.4 billion to the Paris Club and US$ 1.6 billion to India.
9. Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena says a request was made by the Cabinet of Ministers to form a Presidential Commission with absolute power “to prevent future protests similar to the ‘Aragalaya’ peoples’ movement”; adds such a request was made “to ensure law and order in the country.”
10. The Afghanistan National Men’s Team to arrive in Sri Lanka to play a three-match ODI series in May–June 2023: The Afghanistan team will arrive in Sri Lanka on May 29, 2023.

In the first meeting of the official bilateral creditors committee, Sri Lankan authorities formally requested debt treatment on Tuesday. The meeting was held online and co-chaired by India, Japan, and France. The 17-member committee consists of Paris Club creditors as well as other official bilateral creditors, including China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran as observers. The new framework, launched in Washington D.C. in April, was held within creditors’ hope that it will serve as a model to resolve the debt difficulties of middle-income economies.

Last month, France, India, and Japan unveiled a common platform to co-ordinate restructuring of Sri Lanka’s debt. According to government data, Sri Lanka owes USD 7.1 billion to bilateral creditors, with China being owed USD 3 billion, followed by USD 2.4 billion to the Paris Club of creditor nations, and USD 1.6 billion to India. The government also needs to renegotiate more than USD 12 billion of debt in eurobonds with overseas private creditors and USD 2.7 billion of other commercial loans.

Sri Lanka has already begun talks to rework part of its domestic debt and aims to finalize a deal by May. The Paris Club committee is a significant move for Sri Lanka, which is struggling to repay its mounting foreign debt amidst the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic fallout. The authorities hope that the move will allow them to restructure their debt and come up with a sustainable repayment plan.

This morning, Sri Lanka Railways announced that five scheduled office trains on all railway lines were cancelled due to a 24-hour token strike staged by station masters. President of the Station Masters’ Association, Mr. Sumedha Somaratne, stated that the strike would continue until midnight today (10).

The Railway Department confirmed that train services have been disrupted due to the station masters’ strike. As a result, the ‘Tikiri Menike’ express train that was supposed to run from Nanuoya to Kandy and Colombo Fort will not operate today. Similarly, the office train scheduled to run from Ganewatta to Colombo Fort and Panadura at 3.55 am has also been cancelled.

The Railway Department also announced that other trains will run with delays. For instance, the train that arrives from Aluthgama to Colombo Fort and runs to Chilaw at 3.40 am will only operate up to Negombo today. The train scheduled to run from Colombo Fort to Noor Nagar at 4.00 am will only travel up to Chilaw station. Similarly, the slow train that was supposed to run from Noor Nagar to Fort will start its journey from Chilaw station today.

In addition, the express train scheduled to run from Colombo Fort to Negombo at 7.00 am will not run today. As a result, the train running from Negombo to Colombo Fort at 9.00 am has also been cancelled. The express train that was scheduled to run from Puttalam to Mt. Lavinia at 4.30 am will also not run today.

According to the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, President’s Secretary Mr. Saman Ekanayake has informed all Provincial Chief Secretaries  in writing today (09) to take all precautionary measures to prevent  the spread of dengue.

The President’s Secretary has also instructed the Armed Forces and the Police to extend their fullest cooperation to the Chief Secretaries in accordance with the requirements of the Dengue Control Program.

During the previous week, 1896 dengue cases were recorded throughout the island, with the Western Province reporting the highest number of cases (49%).

In the Western Province, 21% of dengue cases have been reported from Gampaha district, 18% from Colombo district and 7% from Kalutara district. Among them, 3.4% of dengue cases have been reported from the Colombo Municipal Council area alone.

Furthermore, a considerable number of patients have been reported from the districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Kandy, Galle, and Kegalle.

The districts of Colombo, Gampaha, and Kalutara have recorded an increase in patients compared to the previous week.

In response to a query the following information was submitted by the Chief Secretaries of all Provinces regarding the spread of dengue.

• This year, 6678 dengue cases have been recorded in the Colombo district, 7166 in the Gampaha district, and 1902 in the Kalutara district, for a total of 15,746 dengue cases reported in the Western Province.

• This year, the North Central Province has recorded 364 dengue cases, including 209 from the Anuradhapura district and 155 from the Polonnaruwa district.

• This year, 1481 dengue cases were recorded in the Kandy district, 503 in the Matale district, and 57 in the Nuwara Eliya district, for a total of 2401 dengue cases in the Central Province. There have been two dengue-related fatalities.

• There have been 556 dengue cases recorded in Uva province, including 445 in Badulla district and 111 in Monaragala district, with one fatality reported.

• In 2023, Sabaragamuwa province recorded 1878 dengue cases, while Ratnapura district reported 708 dengue cases and one fatality. In the Kegalle area, 1170 dengue cases have been documented, with no fatalities.

• This year, 3,458 dengue cases have been recorded in the North West Province, including 1069 from the Kurunegala district and 2389 from the Puttalam district. The North West Province has recorded three dengue fatalities.

• This year, 1966 dengue cases have been reported in the Southern province. There have been 918 dengue cases recorded in the Galle district, 536 in Matara, and 512 in Hambantota while three dengue fatalities have been reported in the Southern province.

• There are 269 dengue cases in the Eastern Province, including 108 cases in Trincomalee district, 106 cases in Batticaloa district, and 55 cases in Ampara district. So far, three dengue deaths have been reported in the Eastern Province.

• 1326 cases of dengue have been reported in Northern Province, 1121 cases of dengue in Jaffna district, 51 cases of dengue in Kilinochchi district, 27 cases of dengue in Mannar district, 33 cases of dengue in Mullaitivu district and 94 cases of dengue in Vavuniya district. 02 dengue deaths have been reported in the Northern Province.

The second and third types of dengue virus are currently the most commonly reported, while the third type of dengue virus is still spreading after 14 years. According to Health Department, the spread of dengue fever has also increased since immunity is low.

Provincial Chief Secretaries confirmed today that the Department of Health Services, its regional health services directorate offices, and local government agencies have already implemented a comprehensive disease prevention program under the supervision of public health inspectors.

As a result, the heads of government institutions, schools, and other institutions should be informed to check and clean places where mosquitoes can breed, inspect all houses and shop premises in urban and rural areas, make loudspeaker announcements, and visit areas where dengue cases have been detected. The provincial Chief Secretaries also stated that they are taking the necessary steps to control the spread of dengue fever, including destroying dengue-carrying mosquitoes in the surrounding areas, fumigating, conducting spot checks, and identifying mosquito larvae, as well as taking legal action against those who fail to keep the premises of houses and institutions clean.

Meanwhile, health officials are underlining that their participation is not sufficient to ensure the success of the dengue control campaign, and that public support is also required.

Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-Western and Southern provinces. Fairly heavy showers above 75 mm are likely at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-Western provinces and in Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle and Matara districts.

Several spells of showers will occur in the Northern provinces.

Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places elsewhere over the island particularly during the afternoon or night.

Strong winds about (40-45) kmph can be expected at times over western and southern coastal areas and along the western slopes of the central hills.

General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.