According to a foreign news agency, the Sri Lankan government says the ban on the burqa and hijab was "merely a proposal" which has not yet been approved.
It may be recalled that three days ago, Sri Lankan Minister for Public Security Sarath Veraskara had termed the wearing of burqa as extremism and said that a document banning the wearing of niqab across the country had been signed and it should be approved by the Cabinet Will
Sri Lanka bans niqab and closes Islamic schools
However, a government spokesman told a news conference on Tuesday that any such move would not be possible without consultation, which would take a long time. In addition, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry has taken a similar stance in this regard.
Saad Khattak, Pakistan's ambassador to Sri Lanka, and Ahmed Shaheed, the UN special envoy for human rights, called the ban a violation of religious freedom.
According to international media, Sri Lanka has backtracked on its decision to ban the Islamic headscarf because a UN resolution on Sri Lanka's human rights record is due to be tabled in Geneva next week. Of the 47 countries that voted in the meeting, two-thirds are Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Observers say that if a resolution against Sri Lanka on human rights is passed, its government and military authorities will face action on steps taken to end the civil war in 2009. That is why Sri Lanka is very careful in this regard.
Earlier, during the Corona virus epidemic, Muslims were banned from burying corpses in Sri Lanka last year and forcible cremation orders were issued. The policy was condemned locally and internationally, and Sri Lanka had to lift the ban last month.
The Sri Lankan government has allowed the burial of Muslims killed in Corona
It should be noted that nine per cent of Sri Lanka's population of more than 22 million are Muslims, most of whom belong to the Tamil nation living there.
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