COLOMBO, Sept 3: The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has sought an assurance from the ruling party and the opposition that the community would be given an autonomous Muslim-majority administrative unit in the LTTE-dominated Eastern Province.

Rauf Hakeem, the SLMC chief, told Dawn that this condition was put to the United National Party’s presidential candidate, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and would also be conveyed to the ruling party’s candidate, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, next week. “We will be meeting Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse to speak about long-neglected issues concerning Muslims.” the SLMC leader said.