Another day, another life lost at the hands of religious extremism. A Sri Lankan national, Priyantha Kumara was lynched, tortured, and burned alive by a mob over alleged blasphemy in Sialkot.
Details On The Sialkot Incident
The gut-wrenching incident took place on Wazirabad road in Sialkot. It is being reported that Priyantha Kumara, who was a Sialkot resident, allegedly tore a poster with Durood Shareef & Labaik Ya Hussain written on it.
Factory workers and residents from the surrounding area started gathering who then attacked Priyantha inside the factory he worked in. Police present at the scene told Express Tribune that there was an overwhelming amount of people there, hence, they couldn’t stop them from setting ablaze the Sri Lankan national.
Update On Arrests
Several video clips of the horrific incident shared on social media show a large crowd gathered around the victim’s body, making videos and chanting slogans. The CCTV footage of the attack recorded inside the factory hasn’t been released to the public yet. It is under police custody so they can identify suspects and arrest them (Express Tribune).
Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Special Representative for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, addressed a press conference where he stated around 50 people were arrested initially. Plus, the police might make more arrests once they identify the suspects via the CCTV footage (Dawn).
Moreover, Usman Buzdar, the Chief Minister of Punjab condemned the horrific incident and stated, “I have instructed IG Police to thoroughly investigate it. No one is allowed to take the law in their hands. Rest assured, individuals involved in this inhumane act will not be spared!!” In addition, according to Azhar Mashwani, the focal person to Usman Buzdar, besides footages from CCTV, Nadra’s face recognition will also be used to identify and arrest the perpetrators.
The latest reports show that more than 100 culprits have been arrested including Farhan Idrees, who blatantly confessed to the crime in front of media personnel when asked about the incident and he is also believed to be the main culprit behind the attack. Another culprit, Usman Rasheed was arrested. The police will make more arrests as they identify the attackers using CCTV footage, according to Azhar Mashwani.
Prime Minister Imran Khan & President Arif Alvi Condemned The Attack
Prime Minister Imran Khan took to Twitter to express his condemnation. He wrote,” The horrific vigilante attack on factory in Sialkot & the burning alive of Sri Lankan manager is a day of shame for Pakistan.”
“I am overseeing the investigations & let there be no mistake all those responsible will be punished with full severity of the law. Arrests are in progress,” he added.
We hope all those involved are arrested promptly. Pakistanis are counting on Imran Khan to take the appropriate measures regarding the incident.
President Arif Alvi expressed his appreciation for Imran Khan’s prompt action. The Sialkot incident is “not religious in any way whatsoever,” said Arif Alvi. “Islam is a religion that established cannons of deliberative justice rather than mob lynchings,” added the President.
Who was Priyantha Kumara?
Priyantha Kumara was a Sri Lankan national working as a General Manager in Rajco Industries, Sialkot, for the last 8 years.
Waking up to a tolerant Pakistan is slowly becoming a distant dream. The government and relevant authorities must act fast and take appropriate steps, as setting a precedent for culprits has become the utmost necessity. We can only hope better sense prevails.
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Sources used in this article include The Express Tribune & Dawn.
