Furious Muslim mob of hundreds LYNCH Sri Lankan factory manager in Pakistan, publicly burning his body after he was accused of blasphemy
- Priyantha Kumara was killed and publicly burned in eastern Pakistan yesterday
- The Sri Lankan sports equipment factory manager was accused of blasphemy
- A mob of hundreds of enraged factory workers dragged the victim outside
- Police have arrested 13 and dozens have been detained, officials said today
Hundreds of enraged Muslims in eastern Pakistan lynched and publicly burned the body of a Sri Lankan sports equipment factory manager on Friday over alleged blasphemy.
Priyantha Kumara was accused by factory workers of desecrating posters bearing the name of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.
The mob descended on the factory in the district of Sialkot in Punjab province and police arrested 13 suspects, with dozens detained according to officials.
Hundreds of enraged Muslims in eastern Pakistan lynched and publicly burned the body of a Sri Lankan sports equipment factory manager on Friday after he was accused of blasphemy
The lynching was widely condemned by Pakistan’s military and political leadership, prominent social and religious figures and civil society members.
Prominent suspects were arrested after video footage of the violence showed clearly instigators who incited workers as they killed the manager, dragged him outside, took selfies with his burning body and proudly admitted what they did, Punjab police chief Rao Sardar said today.
Mr Sardar also said that the incident began at around 11am on Friday, and that three constables reached the factory to control the situation shortly after.
The victim reportedly asked workers to remove all stickers from factory machines before a foreign delegation arrived.
Hassan Khawar, right, spokesman for the Pakistan’s Punjab government, and Punjab police chief Rao Sardar
Hassan Khawar, spokesman for the Punjab government, said the provincial police chief was personally overseeing the investigation.
Khurram Shahzad, a police official in Sialkot district, said 123 suspects were detained in ongoing raids.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Sugeeswara Gunaratne said yesterday that Sri Lanka’s embassy in Islamabad was verifying details of the incident with Pakistani authorities.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday tweeted: ‘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 and let there be no mistake all those responsible will be punished with full severity of the law. Arrests are in progress.’
In the conservative society of Pakistan mere allegations of blasphemy invite mob attacks.
The country’s blasphemy law carries the death penalty for anyone found guilty of the offense.
Pakistani security officials inspecting the factory. The country’s blasphemy law carries the death penalty for anyone found guilty of the offense
Prominent suspects were arrested after video footage of the violence showed clear instigators who incited workers as they killed the manager, dragged him outside, took selfies with his burning body and proudly admitted what they did
Mr Khawar (centre) and Mr Sardar (left) with Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Pakistani Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Religious Harmony
Friday’s attack came less than a week after a Muslim mob burned a police station and four police posts in northwestern Pakistan after officers refused to hand over a mentally unstable man accused of desecrating Islam’s holy book, the Quran.
No officers were hurt in the attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The country’s government has long been under pressure to change the country’s blasphemy laws, first introduced by British colonial rulers in 1860.
Critics of the laws say accusing someone of insulting Islam can often be used to intimidate those in religious minority groups or to settle personal scores in Pakistan, according to VOA News.
A Punjab governor was shot and killed by his own guard in 2011 after he defended a Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy.
She was acquitted after spending eight years on death row and, following threats, left Pakistan for Canada to join her family.
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