ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday postponed his visit to Sri Lanka due to security clearance in the wake of recent terror attacks on churches and hotels in Colombo and other areas.
The foreign minister was slated to visit the country on the invitation of the Sri Lankan government.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan security forces maintained a high level of alert after the Easter bombings, officials said, amid intelligence reports that militants were planning fresh attacks before the start of Ramzan.
Security across Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka remained ramped up, with scores of suspected militants arrested since the April 21 attacks on hotels and churches that killed more than 250 people, including 42 foreign nationals.
“Security will stay tight for several days because military and police are still tracking down suspects,” a senior police intelligence official said.
Another government source told a document has been circulated among key security establishments instructing all police and security forces across the Indian Ocean island nation to remain on high alert because the militants were expected to try a strike before Ramadan.