The Cabinet of Ministers on Wednesday approved the appointment of an expert committee to oversee implementation of the recommendations made by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCOI) into the Easter Sunday attacks and the former Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security.
Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said the committee would comprise a counter-terrorism and national security expert together with representatives from relevant ministries and institutions, and would function under the supervision of the Presidential Secretariat.
Although Cabinet approval was first granted in May 2021 to implement the PCOI’s recommendations and propose measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents, Jayatissa said no systematic, formal or sustainable mechanism had been established to monitor progress. As a result, there had been no effective evaluation of how far the recommendations had been put into practice.
“This is a complex process, and we are not prepared to relinquish any part of it. We will also review reports by previous governments and consider their recommendations,” Jayatissa said, responding to questions on why the measure was being rolled out years after the original cabinet approval.
The government said the new committee was expected to provide “a broad, organised structure prioritising public and national security” while ensuring accountability and sustained monitoring of the PCOI’s recommendations.
The decision lands days after the seventh anniversary of the Easter Sunday attacks, amid renewed public scrutiny of the pre-attack intelligence chain. It follows Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris’s submission in open court that former SIS Director Suresh Salley was a “key driving force” behind the attacks.
