I, Ammaar Rishad, write to you with an earnest plea on behalf of the communities of Sri Lanka that have suffered due to the denial of burial rights for CoVid victims by the Government of Sri Lanka.
The CoVid-19 pandemic has afflicted the entire planet, and the rising number of people dying of it is alarming. While the cause of death due to this infectious disease has prevented families from performing their ordinary rites and rituals, it is truly disrespectful to deny the honour of burial to the dead, especially when there is no scientific proof of infection through burial. Only Sri Lanka adopted the forced cremation policy.
Despite scientific evidence and recommendation of Experts, Sri Lanka continues to defy any and all calls for burial rights. Leaders from many parts of the World including the British Parliament have conveyed their dismay and have urged the Government to allow burials for CoVid victims, but nothing has materialized yet.
It has been announced that Pakistani Prime Minister, Hon. Imran Khan will be arriving in Sri Lanka on a State visit on the 23rd of February. I had hoped that he would deliver an address in Parliament where our Parliamentarians could raise this burning issue with him, but the proposed Parliamentary visit was cancelled.
I am still hopeful that this message with the concerns of the Muslim and other communities can be conveyed to him through the power of the media. I am sincerely hopeful that Hon. Imran Khan will hear our cries and heed our request to address this issue with our President. This is only possible if you agree to help us by carrying this message through the media.
I have prepared a video of my speech carrying this message. I kindly request you to publish it, and enable the message to be carried to Prime Minister Imran Khan.