The National Joint Committee (NJC) has expressed serious concerns over recently concluded agreements between Sri Lanka and India. The NJC has emphasised the pivotal importance of transparency in the process while accusing the government of undermining Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.
The following is the text of the open letter Lieutenant General Jagath Dias (retd), President of the NJC, has sent to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake: We, representing a coalition of national organisations committed to safeguarding Sri Lanka’s sovereignty, write to express our profound concern regarding the recent engagements and agreements between Sri Lanka and the Republic of India. Our apprehensions are rooted in historical precedents and the current trajectory of bilateral relations, which appear to compromise our nation’s autonomy and long-term interests.
(1) Historical context of Indian interference Sri Lanka’s post-independence history is replete with grave examples of Indian interference that has undermined our sovereignty:
• Support for militancy: India’s direct involvement in training, arming, and funding Tamil militant groups in the 1980s, notably the LTTE, sparked a conflict that lasted over 30 years and cost over 100,000 lives.
• Violation of sovereignty: The unauthorised Indian air-drop “Operation Poomalai” in 1987 breached our airspace and sovereignty, setting a dangerous precedent.
• Sabotaging counter-terrorism: India intervened in May 1987 to prevent the Sri Lankan military from capturing LTTE leader Prabhakaran—frisking and flying him to India. This action that could have ended terror in May 1987 took 22 more years to end in May 2009.
* Imposition of the Indo-Lanka Accord (1987): Signed under duress, this agreement violated Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits threat or use of force against another state’s sovereignty. The resulting IPKF occupation led to mass atrocities including killings, rapes, and long-standing resentment.
• Violation of “Pacta Sunt Servanda”: India failed to uphold five specific commitments made in the Indo-Lanka Accord, including disarming Tamil militants. As per international law, failure to fulfil treaty obligations automatically invalidates the treaty.
(2)Secretive Agreements and lack of Transparency Recent developments indicate a continuation of opaque dealings:
• Undisclosed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs): Several MoUs with India have reportedly been signed without any Parliamentary debate or public disclosure, violating democratic norms and constitutional accountability.
• Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA): Proposed liberalization of trade in services threatens to open Sri Lanka’s job market to Indian nationals, leading to demographic changes and erosion of local livelihoods.
(3) Economic overdependence and strategic vulnerabilities India’s creeping control over Sri Lanka’s core sectors risks turning Sri Lanka into an Indian satellite state:
• Energy and Infrastructure: Indian control of LNG supply, renewable energy projects, the Trincomalee oil tank farm, and joint ventures in ports and railways grants India leverage in critical areas.
• Currency Dominance: The push for Sri Lanka to accept Indian Rupee trade and loans gives India outsized monetary influence over Sri Lanka’s economy.
• Credit Line Coercion: India’s conditional credit lines requiring the purchase of Indian goods restrict Sri Lanka’s economic freedom and diversity.
• Digital Colonization: Indian firms are embedding themselves into Sri Lanka’s financial tech, surveillance, and digital governance sectors, giving India access to strategic data and long-term control over digital infrastructure. This poses a grave threat to national security and data sovereignty.
• Cultural Encroachment: India’s funding of kovils and promotion of “mythological Ramayana trails” undermines Sri Lanka’s Buddhist heritage and Article 9 of the Constitution protecting the Buddha Sasana.
(4) Precedents of Indian Coercion in the Region India’s behavior with neighboring states reflects a consistent pattern of coercion and domination, often violating international norms and undermining regional sovereignty:
• Nepal (2015): India imposed an unofficial blockade on Nepal for nearly six months in response to Kathmandu’s refusal to amend its new constitution as per India’s wishes, causing fuel and medicine shortages and drawing global condemnation for violating humanitarian principles.
• Pakistan: India’s threats to revoke the Indus Waters Treaty and unilateral restriction of water flow through tributaries are violations of the UN Charter’s Article 2(4) and constitute war crimes under international law.
• Bangladesh (2024): India abruptly halted electricity supplies to Bangladesh over payment issues without prior warning, leaving millions affected and undermining trust in bilateral agreements.
• Bhutan: India cut off fuel subsidies to Bhutan in 2013 to punish its government for improving ties with China, directly interfering in its foreign policy and internal democratic decision-making.
• Maldives: India has interfered in Maldivian domestic politics, backed specific regimes, and pressured successive governments to allow Indian military presence, prompting popular resistance and protests under the “India Out” campaign.
(5) Geopolitical Alignments and loss of Strategic Autonomy Sri Lanka’s defense engagements with India have dangerous consequences:
• Quad Alignment: India’s participation in the US-led Quad raises serious conflict-of interest risks for Sri Lanka, especially regarding its non-aligned tradition. Entering defense pacts with India could alienate our longstanding allies like China, Pakistan, and Russia.
• Intelligence Isolation: Sole dependency on India undermines our ability to collaborate with other nations who provided intelligence and military support to defeat LTTE terror-support that was critical to safeguarding Sri Lanka’s unity.
• Historical Warnings Ignored: N.Q. Dias, former Defence and Foreign Secretary, proposed military encampments in the North not to threaten Tamils, but to prevent illegal immigration and demographic alteration by influxes from Tamil Nadu- a concern still relevant today.
(6) Recommendations In light of the above, we urgently request that Your Excellency:
• Ensure Transparency: Immediately disclose to Parliament and the public all MoUs and agreements signed with India.
• Safeguard Sovereignty: Reassess and, where necessary, renegotiate any agreements that compromise Sri Lanka’s political, economic, and military independence.
• Diversify Partnerships: Uphold the spirit of non-alignment by maintaining balanced relations with global allies rather than being tethered to one power bloc.
• Protect the People: Ensure economic agreements do not displace Sri Lankan workers, farmers, or small businesses and that constitutional commitments to the Buddha
Sasana are honored.
The NJC warned at this critical time President Dissanayake’s leadership would determine whether Sri Lanka remains a free, sovereign nation or slips into dependency under foreign control. We implore you to act decisively.”