Hakeem, Bathiudeen, Ali and Maharoof return to their positions
Buddhika Pathirana appointed as State Minister of Industry and Commerce
Four Muslim ministers who collectively resigned from their ministerial portfolios recently were reappointed to their previous positions yesterday, the President’s Media Division said.
A group of Muslim ministers resigned in June as tensions between the Sinhala and Muslim communities increased after the Easter Sunday attacks with allegations that certain Muslim politicians had links to the extremist elements behind the attacks. The Muslim politicians resigned from their positions to facilitate investigations for a period of one month.
Subsequently Ministers Kabir Hashim and M.H.A. Haleem resumed their ministerial portfolios while acting ministers filled in the other vacancies. Following several rounds of discussions the resigned parliamentarians resumed their portfolios yesterday.
The reappointed ministers are as follows:
Rauff Hakeem – Minister of City Planning, Water Supply and Higher Education
Rishad Bathiudeen – Minister of Industry and Commerce, Resettlement of Protracted Displaced Persons and Co-Operative Development and Vocational Training and Skills Development
State Ministers:
Ameer Ali – State Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Rural Economic Affairs
Buddhika Pathirana – Minister of Industry and Commerce, Resettlement of Protracted Displaced Persons and Co-operative Development and Vocational Training & Skills Development
Deputy Minister:
Abdullah Maharoof – Deputy Minister of Ports and Shipping
(FT)