Colombo: Faced with an impending UN inquiry, the Sri Lankan government has hired a prominent Pakistani lawyer to defend itself over its human rights record and alleged war crimes, a media report said here today.
Aitzaz Ahsan, a 70-year-old Pakistani legal expert, was in Colombo last week for consultations on the matter, a Sunday Times report said.
His visit came after President Mahinda Rajapaksa made an appeal to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Ahsan had defended Sharif when he faced charges of attempting to hijack former military ruler Pervez Musharraf's aircraft in 1999 before he was ousted as premier in a coup.
On Ahsan's advice to Sri Lanka, the report said he had asked Colombo to convene a special session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) after getting the support of more member countries.
