COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) – Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday as Muslims marched near the president’s office, demanding that the government allow COVID-19 people to be buried instead of cremated.
Sri Lankan Muslims hope Khan will tackle the funeral issue when he meets his peers on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Khan will meet with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his older brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, during his two-day visit.
When Khan, the prime minister of the Muslim-majority Pakistan, began his visit, about 2,000 protesters gathered near the president’s office in Colombo, demanding that funerals be allowed for Muslims dying of COVID-19.
“He knows the situation and we think he will discuss the matter with the Sri Lankan president and prime minister,” opposition lawmaker Mujibur Rahman said by telephone.
He said the government was still facing calls for funerals, despite a promise made by Mahinda Rajapaksa two weeks ago to allow it. So far, the government has not allowed them.
Khan earlier welcomed Rajapaksa’s assurance in a tweet.
Sri Lanka is a predominantly Buddhist country where it is customary for Buddhists and Hindus, the second largest religious group, to cremate the dead. Muslims make up about 7% of the country’s 22 million people.
The government demanded cremation of all people dying from COVID-19, saying the virus could contaminate groundwater in human remains.
Muslims and non-Muslims have been protesting the rule for the past year, calling it unscientific and insensitive to Muslim religious beliefs. The United Nations and the United States have also expressed concern about the government.
The World Health Organization and medical groups in Sri Lanka have said that COVID-19 victims could be buried or cremated.
Sri Lanka reported 80,516 cases of coronavirus, including 450 deaths.