Mob Lynching In Pak: TLP Supporters ‘Torture’ Sri Lankan National To Death Over Blasphemy Allegation

Recently, the Imran Khan govt had lifted a ban on TLP after signing a secret agreement with it after which its chief Saad Rizvi and over 1,500 activists accused of terrorism were released from jail.

Security officials gather beside a damaged vehicle near the premises of a factory in Sialkot on December 3, 2021 after police confirmed that a Sri Lankan factory manager was beaten to death and set ablaze by mob, in an incident local media reported was linked to alleged blasphemy. (AFP Photo)

New Delhi: In a shocking case of mob violence, angry supporters of a hardline Islamist party lynched a top Sri Lankan executive of a garment factory in Pakistan’s Punjab province and burnt his body.

They had attacked the facility over blasphemy allegations on Friday, news agency PTI reported police as informing.

A Punjab police official told PTI that Priyantha Kumara, who was in his 40s, was working as the general manager of the garment factory in the Sialkot district. 

“Mr Kumara allegedly tore a poster of the hardline Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in which Quranic verses were inscribed and threw it in the dustbin. The poster of the Islamist party was pasted on the wall adjoining the office of Kumara. A couple of factory workers saw him removing the poster and spread the word in the factory,” the police official said.

Enraged over the blasphemy incident, hundreds of men started gathering outside the factory from adjoining areas. It was informed that most of them were activists and supporters of the TLP.

“The mob dragged the suspect (the Sri Lankan national) from the factory and severely tortured him. After he succumbed to his wounds, the mob burnt his body before police reached there,” the police official revealed.

Videos of the incident have been circulated on social media wherein hundreds of men gathered at the site surrounding the body of the Sri Lankan national, chanting slogans of the TLP can be seen. 

Recently, the Imran Khan government had lifted a ban on the TLP after signing a secret agreement with it after which its chief Saad Rizvi and over 1,500 activists accused of terrorism were released from jail.

In return, the TLP ended its week-long sit-in in Punjab after withdrawing its demand of expelling the French ambassador on the issue of blasphemous cartoons in France.

Now after the lynching of the Sri Lankan national, Sialkot District Police Officer Umar Saeed Malik told reporters that a heavy contingent of police has been deployed in the area to control the situation.

Responses On Incident

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar termed the incident as being very tragic and ordered the Inspector General of Police to investigate the matter and report him within 24 hours.

“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 in a statement, as reported by PTI.

The police reported that the situation in the area is tense while all factories are shut.

Geo News reported Punjab government spokesperson Hassan Khawar as saying that “approximately 50 people have been arrested”.

“CCTV footage is being obtained so that those who were responsible can be identified. The IG has directed law enforcement personnel to produce results in 48 hours after which the probe will be extended,” the spokesperson stated.

Special Representative to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony, Tahir Ashrafi, termed the killing of the factory manager “regrettable” and “condemnable”.

He said that the Pakistan Ulema Council strongly condemns the Sri Lankan national’s murder, adding that those responsible will be arrested and justice served.

Maulana Ashrafi stressed that the country has laws that deal with blasphemy and by taking the law into their hands, “the attackers have insulted our laws as well”.

“Those who killed the Sri Lankan manager in Sialkot have committed an un-Islamic, inhumane act,” he said, adding that he is “ashamed” over the act.

Global human rights watchdog Amnesty International has condemned the incident and demanded an impartial investigation.

In a series of tweets, the watchdog’s South Asia-specific office wrote: “PAKISTAN: Amnesty International is deeply alarmed by the disturbing lynching and killing of a Sri Lankan factory manager in Sialkot, allegedly due to a blasphemy accusation. Authorities must immediately conduct an independent, impartial and prompt investigation and hold the perpetrators accountable.

“Today’s event underscores the urgency with which an environment that enables abuse and puts lives at risk must be rectified,” it added.

Pakistan’s strict laws against defaming Islam, acts deemed as blasphemy include the death penalty. It has been alleged that the laws are often used to settle personal disputes in the Muslim-majority country.

News agency PTI cited a US government advisory panel report as pointing out that Pakistan used blasphemy laws more than any other country in the world.

Mere allegations have led to reports of violence, other serious consequences against the country’s religious minorities.

(With Agency Inputs)