COLOMBO, 17 March, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, the Cabinet spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella asserted that the government’s implementation of the proposed burqa ban and shut down of several Muslim schools is in no rush, adding the decision requires consensus and consultations.

The media cited him saying, “It will be implemented with a consensus and consultations with Muslim organizations and leaders. We won’t rush through the proposal, since it is a serious issue.”

As Pakistan’s envoy to Colombo Saad Khattak criticized the ban, calling it a divisive step to impact the Muslims nationally and internationally, the Cabinet Spokesman made the remarks.  

Khattak’s statement follows Sri Lanka’s Minister of Public Security Sarath Weerasekara signing a paper over the weekend seeking the Cabinet’s approval to ban the burqa, calling it “a sign of religious extremism” with a “direct impact on national security.”

“The burqa has a direct impact on national security. It is a sign of religious extremism … Such actions will help maintain security. We will definitely ban it,” Weerasekara said during a press conference on Saturday.

In Sri Lanka, a temporary ban on the burqa was imposed three years ago after the 21 April, 2019 bomb blast, meanwhile, the reports said that the island nation also plans to ban more than 1,000 Islamic seminaries, or madrasas, out of the nearly 2,300 institutions across the island, with Weerasekara saying they were either “not registered with the authorities” or failed to follow the national education policy.