The government has a huge responsibility to bring back Pulasthini Rajendran alias Sarah, wife of suicide bomber Hasthun, who is said to have fled to India after the Easter Sunday attack, SJB MP Mujibur Rahman told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry probing the Easter Sunday Attack on Monday (28).
He said there are reports that she is in India at present, therefore the government should make a special request from the Government of India to repatriate this suspect.
“If she is brought back, everything relating to the attack could be revealed”, he said. MP Rahman was cross-examined by President’s Counsel Shamil Perera appeared on behalf of Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and also by Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC on Monday.
Referring to a letter published in the Washington Post two days after the attack, Perera PC said the security officers of the MP had been aware of an attack possible to take place. The only local politician whose name has been mentioned in this letter is Rahman, the lawyer said and accordingly questioned whether the Parliamentarian agreed he was aware of the attack.
In reply, Rahman said he does not agree with this statement and what the Washington Post has published is false.
In further questioning, the President’s Counsel asked the MP whether he was aware as to who wanted to launch an attack of this nature.
“The Muslims in this country do not have a need to launch suicide attacks.What Zahran did was to fulfill the need of someone else.”
The MP was a little emotional in answering further and said “The Muslim community got nothing with this attacks.The only result was that they were cornered from society.
Even my child did not go to school for two weeks after the attack. He studied in a Sinhala medium school and later I had to admit him to another one due to this situation,” Rahman said.
In response to a question by the Chairman Judge of the Commission, Rahman said the Muslim MPs in the previous government had not been especially informed of the findings on Zahran Hashim.
However, he said that the 2015-2019 government should be held responsible for not taking action to prevent such an attack.
During the cross-examination by Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, Rahman said an invisible force had been there behind the Easter Sunday carnage mastermind Zahran Hashim to prevent him being arrested.
“After the Digana incident, I lodged a complaint and then Director of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) DIG Nalaka Silva had obtained an arrest warrant from Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court.
However, later the Ex-DIG was arrested. That is why I am saying that there was an invisible force behind Zahran Hashim,” he said. The witness also said that it was not only Dr. Rajapakshe, he also had lodged a complaint against Zahran Hashim. Dr. Rajapakshe, PC in his presentation to the commission said if the previous government paid attention to the statements he made in Parliament regarding the Islamic State (IS)followers in Sri Lanka about 30 months prior to the attack, both the Easter Sunday attack and the destruction of the UNP could have been prevented. Dr. Rajapakshe, PC was cross-examined by MP Rahman before the Commission.
