ISLAMABAD: Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa said Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s mutual relationship is sustained by cultural heritage, economies, and a joint stand on international issues. “We are grateful for the unconditional and steadfast support we received from Pakistan. It is a matter of deep satisfaction that I was able to raise Sri Lanka’s voice with Pakistan. They have stood by us through thick and thin,” he said. He was speaking at an event organised by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Global Village Space (GVS). The topic of the talk was “Sri Lanka’s Struggle for Peace and its Lessons for Pakistan and the Region.” The event was chaired by Lt Gen (r) Asif Yasin Malik. He said Pakistan has a lot to learn about peace-building from Sri Lanka, and there are a lot of parallels between the situations in the two countries vis-à-vis terrorism. In her introductory remarks, former ambassador to Sri Lanka Seema Baloch said that the Sri Lankan government took decisive action against terrorism. Following its success, Sri Lanka began to open its routes and increasingly integrate with the international community. “His Excellency is a leader of the masses,” she said while introducing Rajapaksa. Speaking on the issue of human rights, she said, “In some cases we describe the lives of others as collateral damage and in other cases we emphasize it as civilian casualty.” In his comments, Rajapaksa said there is no distinction between terrorists, mirroring the good vs the bad Taliban debate in Pakistan. He said that terrorism is against the spirit of humanity and no country can prosper if people are compelled to live their lives under fear. In the case of Sri Lanka, the armed forces provided unrelenting support, backed by actual and concrete actions on the part of the government. It was a difficult task, one that could not be possible without public buy-in. Successful anti-terrorism operations depends as much on internal factors as they do on external factors. Public education and support is necessary to thwart any sympathy or help for the enemy. There is no room for hypocrisy or double-dealing, he stressed. He added, “We must learn from one another, be productive and provide practical solutions.” He stressed on the need for more such dialogues and platforms to better understand terrorism and employ measures to combat it and achieve peace in the region. Published in Daily Times, June 22nd, 2017.