Honorary Consul General of Sri Lanka in Lahore Yasin Joya says that he has not issued any statement regarding the gift of two elephants to Pakistan.
In a tweet on Monday, Yasin Joya said, “Want to clarify that I have not issued any statement on behalf of the Sri Lankan government regarding the gift of two elephants to Pakistan.”
The statement of the Honorary Consul General of Sri Lanka in Lahore came two days after the death of an elephant named Noor Jahan in Karachi.
Yasin Joya further said in his tweet that the Sri Lankan government has already banned the transfer of animals from its country to any other country.’
Earlier, a statement attributed to Yasin Joya was being circulated by several social media users that the Sri Lankan government would gift two elephants to Pakistan, which would be moved to zoos in Karachi and Lahore.
Social media users were furious with the news and were advising Sri Lanka not to send animals to Pakistan.
The High Commission of Sri Lanka in Pakistan also said on Twitter that Yasin Joya did not make any such statement.
In a tweet, the High Commission of Sri Lanka said, “The High Commission of Sri Lanka denies the news of discussions regarding the provision of elephants to zoos in Karachi and Lahore.”