By Ali husnain

Sri Lanka although owing many disputes in the state is yet more important in maritime as it is an island nation. The ocean is never too far from Sri Lanka. Situated right at the center of the world's busiest sea communication, the geography connects the country with the Indian Ocean, and its destiny is linked to this strategic body of water. For centuries, the Indian Ocean has been part of Sri Lanka's strategic, security, and political narratives. However, over the years, the country's involvement in the affairs of the Indian Ocean has retracted due to domestic and regional circumstances. Its consciousness of its ocean identity declined when it took an inward orientation which gave greater visibility to its South Asian identity, and its imagination began to pivot towards the Indian hinterland. However, with the rising importance of the Indian Ocean in geopolitics and the end of the civil war, Sri Lanka's consciousness of its ocean identity has grown. Successive governments have formulated policies that would have paved the way to becoming the hub of the Indian Ocean, making the ocean the center of its economic development, maritime security, and defense relations.

Moreover, Sri Lanka is anticipated to play a significant role in any future competitive engagement between the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative and America's entrenched marine presence in South Asia. Seeking a Sri Lankan coalition has emerged as a workable tactic for both China and America that has the potential to upend their antagonistic relationship. As a result, the Indian Ocean and the states that border it are quickly gaining enormous global attention.

This is reflected, for instance, in how China and India have increased their financial support for the construction of naval "outposts" to safeguard important economic markets and interests. Because of America's established influence in these areas, this might not now represent a threat to it. But once it exceeds a certain point, a response is inevitable. Sri Lanka is the country that is closest to the important maritime lanes due to renewed security obligations and meltdowns in the Middle East. Sri Lankan ports give investors direct access to the world's maritime trade. The busiest East-West shipping route, which is traveled by 60,000 ships and carries two-thirds of the world's containerized goods, is located just 10 nautical miles south of Sri Lanka.

There is quite a several historic evidence to prove the ancient maritime strength of Sri Lanka. The connectivity to the ancient maritime silk route which linked China and Europe opened in the middle of the Tang dynasty. The first ever recorded passage to Sri Lanka in the 5^th century BCE is the arrival of Vijaya and his followers from Orissa in India.

Even though ancient Sri Lanka had significant progress in the maritime culture which was rich with the number of ports in the shipbuilding industry, the downfall occurred with the foreign invasions. Since then no major development or significance has been laid on the maritime factor of this island nation. The importance of paying close attention to the maritime space emerged in the early 80s with the inception of LTTE maritime activities mainly across the Palk Strait. The strategic failure that took place at the very early stages of the conflict in terms of developing a stronger Navy paid a heavy price when confronted with the LTTE maritime capabilities at the crucial stages of the conflict.

 So contemporarily one of the most intense outposts of conflict in the near future could occur in the Indian Ocean, which is about to become the core of the tri-polar contest between China, India, and the US. The Indian Ocean region is a place where each of the three states has specific interests and goals. As a result, Sri Lanka's location along the east-west corridor is crucial to its ability to dominate the region. It will therefore have significant geopolitical ramifications whether Sri Lanka chooses to remain neutral or aligns with one of the three regional powers. It is likely to have a significant impact on who will win this fantastic game. Hence Sri Lanka is a key piece in the great game of the Indian Ocean and plays an important role in maritime politics. Further, in accordance with the current politics in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka would be an important actor and hence the rational foreign policy objectives could become the key achievements of Sri Lanka if it formulates smart foreign policy regarding maritime politics. The need of the hour is to stabilize its internal politics and unity of the nation depending only upon its own resources. It must ensure national harmony and state sovereignty in world politics to gain importance and prestige and look into the eyes of the great powers which are depending upon Sri Lanka for their maritime interests in the Indian Ocean.