report in The Island, Aug 16, 2023
National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa yesterday (15) said that those who sought to dispute his claim of US involvement in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ouster should follow international media coverage of Pakistan Premier Imran’s Khan’s removal.
Referring to agency reports, the former minister said there was no doubt that Premier Khan has incurred the wrath of the US for refusing to condemn Russia over the war in Ukraine.
The Opposition MP said that both the US and the EU had brought pressure to bear on Pakistan over Khan’s stand on Ukraine and his visit to Moscow in February last year, influenced the US move.
Weerawansa told The Island that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government had remained silent on the US and Indian interventions to oust President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, too, had never contradicted revelation that the US Ambassador here Julie Chung personally met him at his official residence, near Parliament, where he was offered an opportunity to succeed the previous President.
MP Weerawansa said that the US intervention in Islamabad, where the Premier was removed through a no-faith motion, confirmed his claims. https://island.lk/wimal-uses-imrans-ouster-to-bolster-his-claim-that-us-was-behind-grs-removal/
