Prime Minister Imran Khan has welcomed Sri Lanka's decision to lift a ban on the burial of bodies of people whose deaths were caused by the coronavirus.

On Friday, Sri Lanka lifted the controversial ban which it had imposed last year in March saying that the bodies of COVID-19 victims could only be cremated as the virus could spread by contaminating groundwater.

Following this, Muslim groups insisted the government’s decision had no scientific base and wanted the ban lifted as cremating a body went against their Islamic faith.

In a tweet today, the PM thanked the Sri Lankan leadership and welcomed the official notification allowing the burial option for those dying of coronavirus. On Wednesday, during his visit to Sri Lanka, Muslim parliamentarians urged PM Khan to take up this issue with the Sri Lankan political leaders.

Sri Lanka has reported more than 82,000 coronavirus cases and 459 deaths since January last year.