Watch Video: Raising Slogan Of “Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (SAW)” Pakistan Mob Kills & Burns Sri Lankan Man Over Blasphemy Charges
A mob in Pakistan tortured, killed and then set on fire a Sri Lankan man who was accused of blasphemy over some posters he had allegedly taken down.
Priyantha Diyawadana, a Sri Lankan national who worked as general manager of a factory of the industrial engineering company Rajco Industries in Sialkot, Punjab, was set upon by a violent crowd on Friday.
In horrific videos shared across social media, Diyawadana can be seen being thrown on to the floor, where hundreds began tearing his clothes, violently beating him. He was tortured to death and then his body was burned. Dozens in the crowd can also be seen taking selfies with his dead body.
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With chants of 'gustakh-e-nabi ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda sar tan se juda', fanatics in Pakistan have burnt a man alive after accusing him of blasphemy. The victim was a Sri Lankan pic.twitter.com/7S2FDMRTzw
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) December 3, 2021
Sri Lankan non Muslim man beaten to death & burnt alive in Pakistan over #blasphemy allegations. He worked for a textile factory &was accused of blasphemy by factory workers who reportedly identify with #TLP, the blasphemy brigade backed by #PakistanArmypic.twitter.com/mK1xpUxBDQ
— Taha Siddiqui (@TahaSSiddiqui) December 3, 2021
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the “horrific, vigilante attack” on the factory and the burning alive of the Sri Lankan man “was a day of shame for Pakistan”.
“I am overseeing the investigations and, let there be no mistake, all those responsible will be punished with the full severity of the law. Arrests are in progress,” he said.
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
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) December 3, 2021
Well-known cleric Maulana Tariq Jameel said that taking the law into one’s own hands on the basis of a mere accusation was against the teachings of Islam.
“There is no room for violence and extremism in Islam,” he said, calling on religious scholars to play a positive role in preventing extremism in the country.
سیالکوٹ میں ناموسِ رسالت کی آڑ میں غیر ملکی کو زندہ جلا دینے کا واقعہ انتہائی افسوسناک ہے. محض الزام کی بنیاد پر قانون کو ہاتھ میں لینا اسلامی تعلیمات کے خلاف ہے. اسلام میں تشدد اورشدت پسندی کی کوئی جگہ نہیں. علماء کرام انتہا پسندی کو روکنے میں مثبت کردار ادا کریں.#Sialkot
— Tariq Jamil (@TariqJamilOFCL) December 3, 2021
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the “cold-blooded murder” by the mob in Sialkot was “condemnable and shameful”. “Such extra-judicial vigilantism cannot be condoned at any cost,” the ISPR said.
The statement added that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa had directed for all-out support to the civil administration to arrest the perpetrators of this “heinous crime” and bring them to justice.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said that it expected Pakistani authorities to “take the required action to investigate and ensure justice”.
A report carried by Sri Lankan media organisation News 1st quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Sugeeshwara Gunaratna as saying that the Sri Lankan High Commission in Islamabad was in the process of verifying details of the incident from Pakistani authorities.
Pakistan, an Islamic state, has notoriously draconian laws against blasphemy, which carry the death sentence. The laws are often used against religious minorities and those accused are sometimes lynched before they are proven guilty in a court. The culture of fear around blasphemy cases means judges are often too afraid to find the accused anything other than guilty.
(With Inputs From Agencies)
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