-By Defence Correspondent
(Lanka-e-News -01.May.2025, 11.20 PM) Islamabad, Pakistan – Sri Lanka and Pakistan reaffirmed their commitment to defence cooperation and regional stability during the 5th iteration of the Sri Lanka–Pakistan Bilateral Defence Dialogue, which concluded in Islamabad on 30 April.
The three-day summit, held from 28–30 April, was led by Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Sampath Thuyacontha, a former Defence Attaché in Pakistan with long-standing ties to the Pakistani military establishment. His presence at the dialogue was seen as a signal of continuity and trust in the bilateral defence relationship.
The Sri Lankan delegation also included Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, Commander of the Navy, and Mr. Jayantha Edirisinghe, Additional Secretary (Defence) at the Ministry of Defence. The Pakistani side was headed by Lieutenant General (Retd) Muhammad Ali, Defence Secretary of Pakistan, with parallel engagements held with Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and senior commanders of the Pakistan Armed Forces.
According to official sources from the Ministry of Defence in Colombo, the agenda focused on enhancing operational cooperation, intelligence sharing, training exchanges, and maritime security collaboration. The summit also explored strategic responses to emerging regional threats, including non-traditional security challenges such as cyber threats, hybrid warfare, and terrorism.
Notably, Defence Secretary Thuyacontha held closed-door talks with Pakistan’s senior military leadership, including commanders of the Army and Air Force, leveraging his prior experience and relationships developed during his tenure in Islamabad. These engagements reportedly included discussions on naval interoperability, counter-insurgency doctrine sharing, and joint training programmes.
Analysts observe that Pakistan remains one of Sri Lanka's steadfast defence partners, having provided critical military assistance, including training and equipment, during Colombo’s decades-long conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The defence relationship has since evolved into a multifaceted strategic partnership encompassing intelligence cooperation and strategic dialogue on regional peace.
“The defence ties between Islamabad and Colombo are rooted in mutual respect, operational collaboration, and a shared interest in regional stability,” said a South Asian defence analyst based in New Delhi. “What we’re seeing now is a steady institutionalisation of those ties through recurring bilateral defence summits.”
The dialogue comes amid broader geopolitical shifts in the Indian Ocean Region, where both Sri Lanka and Pakistan navigate strategic competition among regional and extra-regional powers. With growing maritime and geopolitical interests in the IOR, the summit reflects a mutual desire to remain strategically relevant while enhancing interoperability between the two militaries.
No formal defence agreements were announced during the summit, but both sides agreed to convene working groups to further explore avenues for joint defence research, peacekeeping training, and naval capacity-building initiatives.
This year’s dialogue reinforces the long-standing view in Colombo that Islamabad remains a reliable security partner, especially as Sri Lanka continues its post-war military modernisation programme. The next round of the Bilateral Defence Dialogue is scheduled to take place in Colombo in 2026.
-By Defence Correspondent
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by (2025-05-01 18:04:53)
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