Time to stop playing politics with Easter Day terror attacks investigation

While Sri Lankans were remembering the victims of the Easter Sunday terrorist attack victims yesterday there came in the sad news that Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, has died at the age of 88.

No doubt many Christians and particularly Catholics were deeply saddened to hear of his passing on a day that is poignant for them since the dastardly terror attacks took place on Easter Sunday in 2019. For the survivors of the tragedy, the day brings back memories of their loved ones taken in the cruellest manner while for those maimed in the attacks, it is a lifelong struggle for survival.

Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith who led the prayers to mark the day called for setting up an independent prosecutor’s office to oversee future investigations.

The Cardinal has done what he feels is right by the Catholic people he represents and despite criticism of some of his political affiliations, he’s been consistent in calling for justice for the victims and their families.

However noble one’s calls for justice are, it is no secret that the whole Easter Sunday terror attack investigations have been heavily politicised, not only by President Anura Kumara Disanayake and members of his Government alone but by the Rajapaksas and many others with vested interests. Sadly, the good cardinal, maybe unwittingly, has contributed in no small way to the cacophony around the investigations with everyone giving their own opinions on how it happened or who profited from it, etc. 

What investigations have shown so far is that Zaharan and his group, inspired by the ISIS, carried out the suicide bomb attacks. What we also know is that both the political leadership as well as those in intelligence and police ignored reports of rising radicalisation among certain sections of Muslim youth in the country and did not pay heed to warnings of imminent attacks targeting churches in particular.

Former President Maithripala Sirisena and several others have been found guilty of negligence in civil action filed by families of victims and have paid millions in compensation. Future investigations will have to look at their criminal culpability and legal action may follow.

But will any of these satisfy the Cardinal and some others who are waiting for the smoking gun where these attacks are concerned. 

It was not only Sri Lankans who were killed in these attacks but citizens of several other countries also died in them. The United States and Australia were among nations who investigated these attacks. Both countries are members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance along with Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom and there is no doubt they would have left no stone unturned to find those behind the attacks. All investigations have come to a single conclusion that the massacres were orchestrated by “ISIS in Sri Lanka”, an affiliate recognised by ISIS leadership rooted in Syria at the time of the attacks. It is ironic that the Cardinal and others furthering theories of an elusive ‘mastermind’ are going by the evidence of a documentary aired by Channel 4 in the UK. The main source of the claims is a dubious character of Sri Lankan origin who is seeking political asylum in Switzerland. However some of those taking the Channel 4 telecast on the Easter day terrorist attacks as gospel have dismissed the contents of the documentary aired by the same channel called Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields in which alleged war crimes committed by some members of the Lankan armed forces are documented, thus exposing their duplicity. Only politicians have benefitted from all the conspiracy theories, and they continue to do so while those affected directly by the tragedy have become pawns in the games that politicians and their enablers are playing. Six years after that black day, it’s time to stop playing politics and let the law take its due course.