New Delhi: Amid outrage in Pakistan over the lynching of a Sri Lankan national, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak reportedly said that it was the "youthful exuberance of Muslim youngsters" and "happens all the time". A video of Khattak's remarks has gone viral.
Khattak also said that the tragedy should not be linked to the Pakistan government's decision to relax the ban on the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
The Pakistan Defence Minister made the remarks while addressing a press conference in Peshawar on Sunday. "You know the reasons (behind this incident). When children...grow up, they become spirited and do things out of emotions. This does not mean this was the result of that action," Pervez Khattak reportedly said.
On Monday, Khattak also took to Twitter to issue a statement, saying the incident was not a reflection of Pakistan. "I strongly condemn the brutal victimisation of the Sri Lankan who has been killed. The incident is not a reflection of Pakistan. Pakistan denounces extremism in all its forms and manifestation. Those responsible shall be brought to justice," he tweeted.
The Lynching Of Sri Lankan Executive
Last week, supporters of a hardline Islamist party lynched a Sri Lankan executive of a garment factory, Priyantha Kumara, in Pakistan’s Punjab province and burnt his body over blasphemy allegations.
A mob of over 800 men, including supporters of the hardline Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), attacked the garment factory. A total 131 suspects, including 26 main ones, have been arrested so far.
“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,” a police official revealed.
According to the post-mortem report, nearly all bones of Diyawadana were broken and his body was 99 per cent burnt in the horrific lynching incident.
Imran Khan Govt Uplifts Ban On TLP
The Imran Khan administration recently revoked a ban on the TLP after a secret agreement with it, releasing its chairman Saad Rizvi and over 1,500 people guilty of terrorism.
In exchange, the TLP called an end to its week-long sit-in in Punjab after abandoning its demand to remove the French ambassador over the subject of blasphemous cartoons in France.