Former Sri Lankan president Rajapaksa defends himself, says served motherland to best of his ability
Colombo(PTI): "I served my motherland to the best of my ability and I will continue to do so in the future," former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said, as he defended himself in his resignation letter which was read out during a special session of Parliament on Saturday.
Sri Lanka's Parliament met briefly to announce the vacancy in the presidency following the resignation of Rajapaksa, who fled to the country on Wednesday after a popular uprising against him for mishandling the country's economic crisis.
The resignation letter sent by Rajapaksa from Singapore was read during the 13-minute special session.
In his resignation letter, Rajapksa, 73, blamed the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown for Sri Lanka's economic woes.
Rajapaksa said he took the best steps like trying to form an all-party government to counter the economic meltdown. "I served my motherland to the best of my ability and I will continue to do so in the future," he said in the letter.
He pointed out that within 3 months of his presidency, the whole world came to be hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I took action to protect people from the pandemic despite being constrained by the already poor economic environment that prevailed at the time," he said.
"During 2020 and 2021 I was compelled to order lockdowns and the foreign exchange situation deteriorated. In my view, I took the best course of action by suggesting an all-party or a national government to tackle the situation," Rajapaksa said.
"I decided to resign as you indicated to me on July 9 the wish of the party leaders," he said in the letter.
"I resign with effect from July 14," the letter read.
Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on Wednesday and then landed in Singapore on Thursday after it allowed him to enter the country on a "private visit."
Singapore's Foreign Ministry said that Rajapaksa has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted any asylum.
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Gujarat ATS nabs labourer for providing information on Coast Guard ships to Pak agent
Ahmedabad (PTI): The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Friday arrested a labourer for allegedly sharing sensitive information regarding the movement of Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships with a Pakistani agent, said a police official.
Dipesh Gohel, who worked as a welder-cum-labourer at Okha jetty in the coastal Devbhumi Dwarka district, shared sensitive information about ICG ships coming to the jetty with a Pakistan-based woman for a payment of Rs 200 per day, said Superintendent of Police (ATS) K Siddharth.
He has been arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy and waging war against the government under sections 61 and 147 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the SP told reporters.
The ATS had been keeping a close watch on Gohel after receiving a tip-off that the labourer was in touch with an agent of Pakistan's spy agency ISI or an Army officer. Technical surveillance mounted after the tip-off established that phone calls and messages to Gohel emanated from Pakistan, he said.
"For the past three years, Gohel has been employed by a contractor who repairs Coast Guard vessels at Okha jetty. Gohel came in contact with a woman named Sahima on Facebook nearly seven months ago. The woman then started talking to him on WhatsApp," informed Siddharth.
The woman, who told Gohel that she works for the Pakistan Navy, offered to pay Rs 200 per day if he shares names and numbers of Coast Guard ships arriving at the jetty and their movement, said the police officer.
"Despite knowing that it was illegal, Gohel agreed and started sharing such sensitive information," said the SP.
Since Gohel does not have a bank account of his own, he gave account details of three of his friends. They all received Rs 42,000 in total through UPI during the last seven months from the woman. Gohel used to take cash from his friends against those deposits, said the IPS officer.
