Minister Bimal Rathnayake says that steps are currently underway to bring Asad Maulana, the key figure featured in the Channel 4 documentary on the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, back to Sri Lanka.
Speaking to the media, he expressed disappointment that, at such a critical juncture, the opposition has submitted a no-confidence motion against Deputy Minister of Defence, Aruna Jayasekara, to the Speaker of Parliament.
“While we’re working through official channels to bring Asad Maulana to Sri Lanka, this petty group goes and files a no-confidence motion against Aruna Jayasekara. Once the Speaker issues the order, we’ll make it public—there’s no issue with that. But I must say, politics shouldn’t be dragged down to such a low level. Honestly, we’re disturbed by the fact that the opposition still operates in such a narrow-minded way,” Minister Rathnayake added.
He further pointed out that Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sajith Premadasa, and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who were in power during and after the Easter Sunday attacks, did not conduct any investigations into Aruna Jayasekara at the time.
“Over the last 06 years, no investigations have been conducted on Aruna Jayasekara. This is during the tenure of two governments. When we have reinstated Ravi Seneviratne and Shani Abeysekara, when we have arrested Pillayan and his associate Iniya Bharathi, and have also established contact with Asad Maulana, the opposition is submitting a no-confidence motion,” he said.
Minister Rathnayake said that an investigation must now be conducted against Sajith Premadasa and Ranil Wickremesinghe for failing to have conducted a probe against Aruna Jayasekara after the Easter attacks. (Newswire)
