Sri Lanka cancelled Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Parliament address scheduled next week, sparking speculation in political and diplomatic circles.

According to a report by The Hindu, senior government officials have cited “Covid-19 constraints” for the decision, even as the itinerary issued by the Department of Government Information — dated February 16, 2021 – listed “arrival at Parliament” on February 24, along with Khan’s scheduled participation in a ‘Trade and Investment Conference’, and the inauguration of a Sports Institute the same day. Amid a surge of infections in the country, Sri Lanka began a vaccination drive for parliamentarians on Tuesday.

Even though officials cited Covid-19-related restrictions as the reason for the move, people familiar with developments in Colombo said on condition of anonymity that the Sri Lankan government had done a re-think following discussions on the implications of Khan raising the Kashmir issue in his speech, reports Hindustan Times.

When contacted, a spokesperson at the Pakistani High Commission in Colombo told The Hindu, “The PM’s address in [Sri Lankan] Parliament was not confirmed in the first place, it was being discussed.” However, Sri Lanka’s Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena had told a party leaders’ meeting earlier this month that Khan would be addressing the House. The matter was included in the minutes of that meeting, sources present said.

The last foreign leader to address Sri Lanka’s Parliament was Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015.