Sri Lanka | Pakistan

Indian officials called for the swift implementation of a proposed regional energy hub in Sri Lanka at the start of bilateral talks in Colombo on Sunday. The planned oil hub in the northeastern port of Trincomalee featured in a meeting with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, India’s visiting Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters. The project, which also involves the United Arab Emirates, has been under discussion since 2023, he added. “There is no further time to lose in making progress on strategic projects such as these,” said Misri, who is visiting the Sri Lankan capital along with India’s Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan. Sri Lanka, India and the UAE signed an agreement a year ago, following two years of talks, to set up a multi-product oil pipeline connecting the two South Asian neighbours and to establish the Trincomalee oil storage complex. Misri said that in Sunday’s talks, both sides agreed on the need to get the project off the ground quickly. Had the energy hub been completed, ...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached a staff-level pact with Sri Lanka, which will unlock financing of about $700 million once approved, the lender said on Thursday, calling for reforms, including in fuel levies, to ensure stability and growth. The deal comes as the island nation recovers from its worst economic crisis in decades, which led to a foreign debt default in 2022 and a $2.9-billion IMF bailout programme. Sri Lanka’s economic reforms have supported the recovery, but it has been significantly exposed to the Iran war and needs to “build back better” after Cyclone Ditwah, the IMF added. The Middle East conflict caused a surge in energy prices, disrupted a key air hub for tourists, and affected Sri Lankans working in the region, said Evan Papageorgiou, the IMF’s mission chief for Sri Lanka. “The staff-level agreement will go before the IMF executive board at the end of May or early April,” he added. Sri Lanka will need to raise power tariffs further and carefully manage its finances to navigate...

Millions of Sri Lankans enjoyed a government-ordered extra day off on Wednesday as the island nation battles an energy crisis triggered by the Middle East war. Rail and bus stations were largely deserted as most state institutions, schools and universities shifted to a four-day working week. “I am really enjoying the mid-week break because it is a fully paid holiday,” said housing ministry official Prarthana Perera, 40. Her office, like many government departments in Battaramulla — the capital’s main administrative hub — was closed. Banks operated on shorter hours, while many private firms introduced work-from-home arrangements, industry bodies said, urging members to help curb energy use. Sri Lanka has already raised fuel prices by a third since the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, triggering retaliatory attacks that have disrupted global energy supplies. About half of Sri Lanka’s electricity is generated by coal and diesel. The cabinet has set a target of cutting electricity consumption by 25 pe...

Sri Lanka raised fuel prices by 25 per cent on Sunday, the second increase in two weeks, as the country prepared for more impact from the war in the Middle East. Regular petrol was increased to 398 rupees ($1.30) per litre, up from 317 rupees, while diesel, the fuel commonly used for public transport, rose by 79 rupees to 382. Last week, the government ordered an eight per cent increase in retail fuel prices and introduced rationing to limit consumption. “We hope to achieve a 15 to 20pc reduction in fuel consumption with the latest increase,” an official at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation said. He said President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told them last week that the country must prepare for a prolonged conflict in the Middle East that could affect the island’s energy supplies. The president ordered a four-day working week from last Wednesday and asked employers to reintroduce work-from-home arrangements where possible. The Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which some 20pc of global oil exports pass in ...

• Court orders prompt handover of bodies to Iranian embassy following autopsies in Galle • Chartered flight transports sealed boxes from Mattala airport to Iran • Colombo still holds over 250 crewmen from second ship; faces Washington’s pressure to halt repatriation COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Friday repatriated the remains of 84 Iranian sailors killed when their warship was sunk by a US submarine nine days earlier, an attack that extended the raging Middle East conflict to the Indian Ocean, officials said. The seamen were killed when the frigate IRIS Dena was torpedoed on March 4 just off Sri Lanka’s coast. The incident occurred while the vessel was returning from a naval exercise in India amid a wider US-Israeli war on Iran. An Iranian-chartered Airbus A340 transported the bodies from Mattala International Airport in the island’s south, according to an airport official who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. The flight’s destination was not disclosed. “The departure was delaye...

Sri Lanka and India are providing sanctuary to 434 sailors from three Iranian naval vessels targeted or threatened by the United States, a diplomatic conundrum as the US-Israel attack on Iran and the subsequent war spills into the Indian Ocean. The ships had taken part in a naval exercise organised by India off the coast of Visakhapatnam, when the US and Israel began bombing Iran. For Sri Lanka and India, wary of a US response, the dilemma of what to do with the ships and crew has sent legal officials scouring conventions and the laws of the sea. What happened? IRIS Dena, a frigate, was sunk with a torpedo fired by a US submarine on Wednesday, just outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters. Between 130 and 180 sailors were on board, and at least 84 were killed. Sri Lanka rescued 32 survivors, many since discharged from hospital to be hosted at the Koggala air force base in the island’s south. IRIS Lavan, an amphibious landing ship, docked in India’s southern port of Kochi on Wednesday. It had 183 sailors aboard,...

New Zealand knocked co-hosts Sri Lanka out of the T20 World Cup on Wednesday with a 61-run win in Colombo that boosted their semi-final hopes. Sri Lanka needed an emphatic win to stay alive but instead exited with a whimper, limping to 107-8 chasing New Zealand’s 168-7. A win for New Zealand against England on Friday at the same R. Premadasa stadium would see them top the Super Eights group and qualify for the semi-finals along with Harry Brook’s side. A defeat would open the door for Pakistan, who would probably need a big win against Sri Lanka in Kandy on Saturday to sneak through on net run rate. Sri Lanka were never in the chase as Matt Henry dismissed their leading batsman Pathum Nissanka with the first ball of the innings. Henry also removed Chairth Asalanka with the first ball of his second over to leave Sri Lanka in trouble at 6-2. Sri Lanka crawled to 20-2 at the end of the six-over power play, the lowest in the competition and Sri Lanka’s second lowest ever in T20 internationals. Part-time spinner R...

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Mohsin Naqvi met Sri Lanka’s Secretary of Defence, Air Vice Marshal (Retd.

Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka scored the first century of the 2026 T20 World Cup on Monday to put his side into the Super Eights and leave Australia on the brink of elimination. Nissanka scored 100 not out off 52 balls with five sixes and 10 fours as Sri Lanka, chasing Australia’s 181, reached 184-2 with two overs to spare in Kandy to win by eight wickets. A victory by Zimbabwe over Ireland in Group B on Tuesday, or against Sri Lanka on Thursday, would eliminate the 2021 champions. If Zimbabwe lose both, Australia will need to beat Oman in their final match on Friday by a big margin to get through on net run rate. Nissanka was involved in a 97-run stand off 66 balls with Kusal Mendis for the second wicket with the wicketkeeper-batsman posting his third fifty in the competition. Nissanka became the first Sri Lankan to score two hundreds in T20 internationals. After Mendis’s dismissal, Nissanka and Pavan Rathnayake put on 76 off 34 balls to see Sri Lanka to victory. Nissanka played some glorious cover drives off ...

Pakistan and Sri Lanka have decided to broaden collaboration between their interior ministries, placing special emphasis on internal security coordination, counter-terrorism initiatives, and anti-narcotics operations.

Sri Lanka’s 11th-hour call to draft in Kamindu Mendis proved a masterstroke as the all-rounder produced a match-turning cameo to set up a 20-run win over Ireland in their T20 World Cup opener at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday. Kamindu’s blistering 44 off 19 balls with four fours and two sixes gave Sri Lanka the late thrust they badly needed to post 163. The spin trio of Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga and Dunith Wellalage then ran through the Irish middle order, sharing seven wickets to seal a comfortable victory. “I just wanted to score a few boundaries and put a partnership with Kusal Mendis,” said Kamindu. “Kusal was outstanding today. He deserves a lot of credit. We wanted someone to bat through the innings. “They played well during the run chase until the 15th over. We had to keep our calm and we knew they had to take risks and we bowled well towards the end.” Hasaranga claimed three wickets to take his World Cup tally to 40, second only to Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, who has 50. There ...

Sri Lanka’s cricket board on Thursday asked Pakistan to reconsider its decision to boycott their first-round encounter with arch-rival India in the T20 World Cup co-hosted by the island. Pakistan decided not to play India on February 15 in Colombo to express solidarity with Bangladesh, who were excluded from the tournament after refusing to play their matches in India. Pakistan and India have not played bilateral cricket for more than a decade and meet only at global or regional tournament events. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) told the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that a boycott would result in a financial hit and also hurt the island’s tourism industry, which is still recovering from the 2022 economic meltdown. “Any non-participation will have wide-ranging implications, including substantial financial exposure for SLC and the potential loss of anticipated tourism inflows,” the board said. It recalled that Sri Lanka had toured Pakistan to express solidarity and revive international matches there when other nations ...

The Pakistan cricket team on Monday arrived in Sri Lanka for the T20 World Cup, which is set to begin on February 7. In a post on X, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that a 15-player squad had arrived in the country. “The 15-player national squad includes Captain Salman Ali Agha, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Naeef, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan, and Usman Tariq,” the PCB said in an earlier post, the informed of the squad’s department for the global event’s venue. In the latest update about the aquad’s arrival in Colombo, the board said the team would rest on Monday and Tuesday. “The team will play a warm-up match against Ireland on Feb 4,” PCB added. The T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is set to begin on Feb 7. On Sunday, the government gave the go-ahead for Pakistan’s participation in the tournament, but barred it from playing against arch-rival India...

Sri Lanka will deploy elite armed units to protect teams at next month’s T20 World Cup, part of enhanced security measures with a special emphasis on matches between perennial rivals India and Pakistan, officials have told AFP. The island is co-hosting the biennial cricket tournament with India and will hold 20 games between February 7 and March 8. The Indian and Pakistani teams will play each other at least once, in their Group A clash in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on February 15. Cricket matches have long been a stage for expressing political tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, which fought a four-day conflict last year. Sri Lanka has given the “highest priority” to ensuring the tournament runs smoothly and is “paying special attention to the India-Pakistan matches”, sports minister Sunil Kumara Gamage told AFP late on Wednesday. Elite commando units, usually assigned to guard visiting heads of state, will be deployed to protect all participating teams, police and security officials said. “Fr...

Featuring for Pakistan for the first time since June last year, Shadab Khan impressed with the ball, teaming up with Abrar Ahmed as Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the opening fixture of the three-match Twenty20 International series at the Rangiri Dambulla Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. The all-rounder took two wickets, while Abrar hunted three victims to restrict Sri Lanka to a paltry 128-run total before Sahibzada Farhan’s half century helped Pakistan chase down the target with 20 balls to spare. Shadab gave away only 25 runs in his four overs, bagging both his wickets in his very first over and could have gone on to take a third had it not been for a dropped catch later on. Coming into bowl in the seventh over, after Mohammad Wasim and Salman Mirza’s pace — that accounted for a wicket for each — saw Sri Lanka post 35-2 in the powerplay, Shadab trapped a sweeping Kusal Mendis lbw and induced an inside edge off Dhananjaya de Silva’s bat for wicket-keeper Usman Khan to take a good catch. With Sri Lan...

Sri Lanka has almost doubled its military deployment to regions struck by a cyclone that has killed 627, sending tens of thousands of troops to help areas hit by a wave of destruction, the army said on Monday. More than two million people — nearly 10 per cent of the population — have been affected by the disaster caused by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century. Sri Lanka is expecting further heavy monsoon rains on Monday, topping 50 millimetres in many places, including the worst-affected central region, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. It has also issued warnings of further landslides. The DMC has confirmed 627 deaths, with another 190 people unaccounted for since November 27, when intense rains brought on by Cyclone Ditwah triggered landslides and floods. The disaster management agency warned residents to “take adequate precautions to minimise damage caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers”. Army chief Lasantha Rodrigo said 38,500 security pers...

Sri Lankan authorities issued fresh landslide warnings on Sunday with rains lashing areas already devastated by a powerful cyclone, as the death toll rose to 618. A chain of tropical storms and monsoonal rains has battered Southeast and South Asia, setting off landslides, flooding vast tracts and cutting off communities from Sumatra island’s rainforests to the highland plantations of Sri Lanka. At least 1,812 people have been killed in the natural disasters rolling across Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam over the past two weeks. Indonesia’s president on Sunday vowed to step up aid, with demonstrators rallying after the country’s death toll surpassed 900. More than two million people in Sri Lanka — nearly 10 per cent of the population — have been affected by last week’s floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said monsoon storms were adding more rain and making hillsides unstable, including in the central ...

Pakistan has sent an urban search and rescue team to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka, where severe flooding and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah have claimed more than 400 lives. According to Radio Pakistan, a Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft carrying a 47-member team along with 6.5 tons of essential equipment has departed to participate in the humanitarian and rescue efforts. Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad for seeing off the aid on Wednesday morning, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik said the urban search and rescue team was being sent to help the people affected by the cyclone in Sri Lanka. He asserted that Pakistan and its government stood in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka. The NDMA chairman further said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir had directed “full-out support” to assist those affected. “Pakistan has committed all-out support since November 28 when the cyclone impacted Sri Lanka,” he s...

Pakistan has expanded its relief efforts for storm-hit Sri Lanka following the devastation caused by the recent severe storm and an official appeal for assistance by the Sri Lankan government.

Islamabad - Pakistan yesterday dispatched 200 tonnes of relief supplies to Sri Lanka via sea cargo after India refused to use its airspace.