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03-12-2021
By SJA Jafri
SIALKOT/ ISLAMABAD: A mob in Sialkot on Friday tortured a Sri Lankan man to death over blasphemy allegations before burning his body, while a heavy contingent of police has been sent to the area to bring the situation under control.
Speaking to the media hours after the incident alongside Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister on Information Hassan Khawar and Punjab IG Rao Sardar Ali Khan, Special Representative for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi condemned the lynching on “behalf of all ulemas” and said that it had “defaced Islam”.
Ashrafi said that the country had laws when it comes to Namoos-i-Risalat (the sanctity of the Prophet). He said that those responsible for the incident had not served the country or Islam and had gone against the religion.
“The elements involved in the incident have tried to damage Islamic laws and teachings,” he said, adding that the culprits will be punished for the “barbarism”.
Offering his condolences to the victim’s family, Ashrafi said that the country’s religious scholars will 
hold a joint press conference at a later date. “We will also go to the Sri Lankan embassy for condolences.”
He added that so far 50 people have been arrested and officials were working on identifying more culprits using CCTV footage. He said that an FIR of the incident will be registered under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The incident took place on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot, where the workers of private factories attacked the export manager of a factory who was a resident of the city and burnt his body after killing him.
Sialkot District Police Officer Umar Saeed Malik identified the man as Priyantha Kumara, a Sri Lankan national.
Armagan Gondal, the Sialkot police chief, told the Associated Press that the factory workers had accused the victim of desecrating posters bearing the name of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
The manager was lynched by the mob inside the factory, Gondal said, citing initial information.
However, DPO Malik said police were still trying to determine what exactly prompted the mob to kill the Sri Lankan, whose remains were sent to a hospital for an autopsy.
Gujranwala RPO Imran Ahmar told reporters that police were carrying out an “in-depth” investigation into the incident, and that details would be shared after collecting complete evidence.
“Action will be taken as per the law against the individuals involved in the incident,” he said, adding that it would be premature to comment on the motive before the investigation.
Videos shared on social media showed hundreds of men and young boys gathered at the site, with groups of them chanting slogans.
Most of the people surrounding the burning corpse, based on footage seen by a media outlet, were seen recording it.
Police have not yet commented on the possible motive behind the murder. A spokesperson for Sialkot police said details would be shared with the media after initial investigation.
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar in a tweet said he was “extremely shocked” at the “horrific Sialkot incident”.
“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!!” he wrote.
Buzdar earlier summoned a report from the inspector general of police and ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter.
“Every aspect of the incident should be investigated and a report should be submitted. Action should be taken against those who take the law into their own hands,” the chief minister said.
Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari called the murder “horrific and condemnable”.
“Mob violence cannot be acceptable under any circumstance as state has laws to deal with all offences. Punjab government’s action must and will be firm and unambiguous,” she tweeted.
Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Sardar Ali Khan also took notice of the incident and directed the Gujranwala regional police officer to reach the location immediately.
“The Sialkot DPO is present on the spot. All aspects of the incident should be investigated,” the IGP said.
Hours after the incident was reported, political bigwigs from the ruling party as well as the opposition had yet to address it. Social media users, however, expressed shock over the gruesomeness of the murder and called the government’s attention to the deplorable law and order situation in the country.
Human rights organizations also took notice of the incident.
Amnesty International said it was “deeply alarmed by the disturbing lynching and killing of a Sri Lankan factory manager in Sialkot, allegedly due to a blasphemy accusation”.
A similar incident in Sialkot in 2010 had shaken the country when a mob had lynched two brothers in the presence of police, declaring them dacoits. The incident sparked shock and horror across the country as cellphone footage of the heinous murders was uploaded to video-sharing sites.
