{"id":58594,"date":"2021-02-26T06:39:40","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T06:39:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=58594"},"modified":"2021-02-26T06:43:54","modified_gmt":"2021-02-26T06:43:54","slug":"pakistans-love-of-sri-lanka-by-sanjeewa-jayaweera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/pakistans-love-of-sri-lanka-by-sanjeewa-jayaweera\/","title":{"rendered":"PAKISTAN\u2019S LOVE OF SRI LANKA By Sanjeewa Jayaweera"},"content":{"rendered":"

PAKISTAN\u2019S LOVE OF SRI LANKA<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

By Sanjeewa Jayaweera<\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sanjeewa Jayaweera<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"PAKISTAN\u2019S<\/p>\n

Mr and Mrs Bhutto, Mrs Bandaranaike and the author’s father<\/span><\/p>\n

It was on 3rd January 1972 that our family arrived in Karachi from Moscow. Our departure from Moscow had been delayed for a few weeks due to the military confrontation between Pakistan and India. It ended on 16th December 1971. After that, international flights were not permitted for some time.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The contrast between Moscow and Karachi was unbelievable. First and foremost, Moscow\u2019s temperature was near minus 40 degrees centigrade, while in Karachi, it was sunny and a warm 28 degrees centigrade. However, what struck us most was the extreme warmth with which the airport authorities greeted our family. As my father was a diplomat, we were quickly ushered to the airport\u2019s VIP Lounge. We were in transit on our way to Rawalpindi, the airport serving the capital of Islamabad.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We quickly realized that the word \u201cwe are from Sri Lanka\u201d opened all doors just as saying \u201copen sesame\u201d gained entry to Aladdin\u2019s cave! The broad smile, extreme courtesy, and genuine warmth we received from the Pakistani people were unbelievable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This was all to do with Mrs Sirima Bandaranaike\u2019s decision to allow Pakistani aircraft to land in Colombo to refuel on the way to Dhakka in East Pakistan during the military confrontation between Pakistan and India.\u00a0 It was a brave decision by Mrs Bandaranaike (Mrs B), and the successive governments and Sri Lanka people are still enjoying the fruits of it. Pakistan has been a steadfast and loyal supporter of our country. They have come to our assistance time and again in times of great need when many have turned their back on us. They have indeed been an \u201call-weather\u201d friend of our country.<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting back to 1972, I was an early beneficiary of Pakistani people\u2019s love for Sri Lankans. I failed the entrance exam to gain entry to the only English medium school in Islamabad! However, when I met the Principal, along with my father, he said, \u201cSanjeewa, although you failed the entrance exam, I will this time make an exception as Sri Lankans are our dear friends.\u201d After that, the joke around the family dinner table was that I owed my education in Pakistan to Mrs B!<\/span><\/p>\n

At school, my brother and I were extended a warm welcome and always greeted \u201cour good friends from Sri Lanka.\u201d I felt when playing cricket for our college; our runs were cheered more loudly than of others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One particular incident that I remember well was when the Embassy received a telex from the foreign ministry. It requested that our High Commissioner seek an immediate meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr Zulifikar Ali Bhutto (ZB), and convey a message from Mrs B. The message requested that an urgent shipment of rice be dispatched to Sri Lanka as there would be an imminent rice shortage.\u00a0 As the Ambassador was not in the station, the responsibility devolved on my father.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It usually takes about a week or more to get an audience with the Prime Minister (PM) of a foreign country due to their busy schedule. However, given the urgency, my father spoke to the Foreign Ministry\u2019s Permanent Sectary, who fortunately was our neighbour and sought an urgent appointment. My father received a call from the PM\u2019s secretary around 10 P.M asking him to come over to the PM\u2019s residence. My father met ZB around midnight. ZB was about to retire to bed and, as such, was in his pyjamas and gown enjoying a cigar! He had greeted my father and had asked, \u201cMr Jayaweera, what can we do for great friend Madam Bandaranaike?. My father conveyed the message from Colombo and quietly mentioned that there would be riots in the country if there is no rice!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ZB had immediately got the Food Commissioner of Pakistan on the line and said, \u201cI want a shipload of rice to be in Colombo within the next 72 hours!\u201d The Food Commissioner reverted within a few minutes, saying that nothing was available and the last export shipment had left the port only a few hours ago to another country. ZB had instructed to turn the ship around and send it to Colombo. This despite protests from the Food Commissioner about terms and conditions of the Letter of credit prohibiting non-delivery.\u00a0 Sri Lanka got its delivery of rice!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The next was the visit of Mrs B to Pakistan. On arrival in Rawalpindi airport, she was given a hero\u2019s welcome, which Pakistan had previously only offered to President Gaddafi of Libya, who financially backed Pakistan with his oil money. That day, I missed school and accompanied my parents to the airport. On our way, we witnessed thousands of people had gathered by the roadside to welcome Mrs B.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When we walked to the airport\u2019s tarmac, thousands of people were standing in temporary stands waving Sri Lanka and Pakistan flags and chanting \u201cSri Lanka Pakistan Zindabad.\u201d The noise emanating from the crowd was as loud and passionate as the cheering that the Pakistani cricket team received during a test match. It was electric!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I believe she was only the second head of state given the privilege of addressing both assemblies of Parliament. The other being Gaddafi. There was genuine affection from Mrs B amongst the people of Pakistan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I always remember the indefatigable efforts of Mr Abdul Haffez Kardar, a cabinet minister and the President of the Pakistan cricket board. From around 1973 onwards, he passionately championed Sri Lanka\u2019s cause to be admitted as a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and granted test status. Every year, he would propose at the ICC\u2019s annual meeting, but England and Australia\u2019s veto kept us out until 1981.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I always felt that our cricket board made a mistake by not inviting Pakistan to play our inaugural test match. We should have appreciated Mr Kardar and Pakistan\u2019s efforts. In 1974 the Pakistan board invited our team for a tour involving three test matches and a few first-class games. Most of those who played in our first test match was part of that tour, and no doubt gained significant exposure playing against a highly talented Pakistani team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Several Pakistani greats were part of the Pakistan and India team that played a match soon after the Central bank bomb in Colombo to prove that it was safe to play cricket in Colombo. It was a magnificent gesture by both Pakistan and India. Our greatest cricket triumph was in Pakistan when we won the World Cup in 1996. I am sure the players and those who watched the match on TV will remember the passionate support our team received that night from the Pakistani crowd. It was like playing at home!<\/span><\/p>\n

I also recall reading about how the Pakistani government air freighted several Multi Barrell artillery guns and ammunition to Sri Lanka when the army camp in Jaffna was under severe threat from the LTTE.\u00a0 This was even more important than the shipload of rice that ZB sent. This was crucial as most other countries refused to sell arms to our country during the war.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Time and again, Pakistan has steadfastly supported our country\u2019s cause at the UNHCR. No doubt this year, too, their diplomats will work tirelessly to assist our country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We extend a warm welcome to Mr Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan. He is a truly inspirational individual who was undoubtedly an excellent cricketer. Since retirement from cricket, he has decided to get involved in politics, and after several years of patiently building up his support base, he won the last parliamentary elections. I hope that just as much as he galvanized Sri Lankan cricketers, his political journey would act as a catalyst for people like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene to get involved in politics. Cricket has been called a \u201cgentleman\u2019s game.\u201d Whilst politics is far from it!.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PAKISTAN\u2019S LOVE OF SRI LANKA By Sanjeewa Jayaweera   Sanjeewa Jayaweera   Mr and Mrs Bhutto, Mrs Bandaranaike and the author’s father It was on 3rd January 1972 that our family arrived in Karachi from Moscow. Our departure from Moscow had been delayed for a few weeks due to the military confrontation between Pakistan and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":58596,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[2394,5442,32917,32916],"class_list":{"0":"post-58594","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"tag-kumar-sangakkara","9":"tag-mahela-jayawardene","10":"tag-mr-imran-khan","11":"tag-sanjeewa-jayaweera","12":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"\nPAKISTAN\u2019S LOVE OF SRI LANKA By Sanjeewa Jayaweera - eLanka<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It was on 3rd January 1972 that our family arrived in Karachi from Moscow. Our departure from Moscow had been delayed for a few weeks due to the military confrontation between Pakistan and India. It ended on 16th December 1971. 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