COLOMBO: The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka (MCSL) has written to the Indian High Commissioner seeking to know if the government of India subscribes to the allegation levelled by Indian intelligence agencies that Lankan Muslims are being used by Pakistan to carry out terrorist strikes in south India.

“The alleged existence of Muslim terror groups in Sri Lanka is contributing to the hate campaign against Muslims in the country and Islamophobia is reaching crisis proportions. It is important that this is contained,” notes the statement, requesting an immediate clarification from the Indian government “to avert confusion and conflict in Sri Lanka which does not contribute to reconciliation, peace and stability in the country”.

The letter by the council also says that Indian media reports of the alleged involvement of some Lankan Muslim in terror plots in south India had helped fan anti-Muslim feelings in Lanka which had recently resulted in very destructive anti-Muslim riots in Aluthgama and Beruwela.

The arrest of two Lankan Muslims, one in Chennai and the other in Malaysia, for preparing ground for a Colombo-based Pakistani diplomat, has led to India’s asking Lanka to evolve a border security system to filter arrivals from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

As a result of this, Lanka last month withdrew the ‘Visa on Arrival’ facility from the Pakistanis.

Indian officials had told the Lankans that the antecedents of the Ahmadis and Christians seeking refugee status were not being checked. Attention of the Lankan authorities was drawn to the fact that many of the “refugees” had begun to work in Lanka.

Some had even got married to local women.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Times in Colombo has said that Sri Lanka has decided to send all arrested Afghan and Pakistani asylum seekers and their families back to their countries as early as possible.

Quoting Immigrations Controller Chulananda Perera, the newspaper said the asylum seekers would be sent back and not deported, whereby there would be no record of deportation on their travel documents.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2014