The government, through the Central Bank, is negotiating a $1.9 billion bailout package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – an agency that was not wanted earlier – because the country’s foreign reserves have hit rock-bottom, economists say.

Pakistani authorities have sought assistance from Colombo in the on-going probe into the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team in Lahore last Tuesday, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told The Sunday Times.