What is the nature of Sri Lanka-Pakistan defence cooperation?
Pakistan has always been keen on maintaining good relations with Sri Lanka to sideline India in the region. It has followed this policy for a number of years. Sri Lanka has never been loyal to India. Sri Lanka sought India’s help to deal with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna insurgency in 1971. Indira Gandhi helped then Sri Lanka Prime Minister Srimavo Banadaranaike by sending Indian Air Force planes and helicopters to quell the rebellion. However, Sri Lanka took an anti-India stand during the (1971) Indo-Pak war and provided re-fuelling facilities to Pakistani warplanes. Indira Gandhi had expressed her anger against the Sri Lankan government during talks with Tamil leaders in the aftermath of the 1983 genocide. She told them the Lankan government did not have gratitude and was always working against India. How has the military cooperation between the two countries increased in recent years? Pakistan has provided large supplies of arms and ammunition to Sri Lanka since 2000. It supplied
