Here’s why the statement on Muslim customs, etc, by Sri Lankan Public Security Minister, is troubling.

Sri Lanka is at the cusp of creating its own national security policy with largely ‘Sri Lankan characteristics’. The ill-fated Easter Sunday Bombings (April 2019) — that claimed hundreds of innocent lives besides causing injuries to hundreds of others and massive economic damage — is the catalyst to the new national security doctrine.

Glimpses of it can be seen in the document entitled The Pathfinder – National Security Strategy 2020 for Sri Lanka crafted by the Colombo-based think-tank, The Pathfinder Foundation, in October 2019.

The Pathfinder Foundation comprises former influential politicians, civil servants, military officials and eminent persons from across the spectrum. It has a 360º overview of the subject addressed in a cogent and candid fashion. The focus is on internal security, and examines the existing fault lines — especially reasons behind the bombings.