Pakistanis pray tribute to Sri Lankan man killed in Sialkot
Pakistanis held prayers and joined memorials to pay tribute to the Sri Lankan factory manager lynched by mob in Sialkot over alleged blasphemy.
A day after he died, memorials were held in Sialkot and Lahore with candles and flowers put with the photos of Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara.
The business community of Sialkot also held a memorial to pay tribute to him outside the office of the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“There is no place for violence and fanaticism in society. Our thoughts and prayers [go out] to the bereaved family of Priyantha Kumara and the whole nation of Sri Lanka in these hard times,” the official statement of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry said. The chamber said they “strictly condemns the most barbaric act of lynching.
The business community of Sialkot has decided to form new standard operating procedures (SOPs) in factories to avoid such tragic incidents. The export-based companies where foreign nationals work have also been asked to take special security measures for the foreigners, besides training security teams to cope with any such situation in the future.
Pakistan PM vows justice
Pakistan’s prime minister told Sri Lanka’s president that more than 100 people have been detained in the vigilante attack and suspects will be “prosecuted with the full severity of the law”.
A mob of hundreds of enraged Muslims descended on the sports equipment factory in the district of Sialkot in Punjab province after the Sri Lankan manager of the factory was accused of blasphemy. They lynched him and publicly burned the body.
Prime Minister Imran Khan describe the gruesome killing as a “day of shame” for Pakistan.
Grieving wife pleads for justice
Kumara’s grieving wife, Niroshi Dasaniyake, pleaded with both Pakistani and Sri Lankan leaders to ensure justice for her slain husband.
Officials said the remains of a Sri Lankan man who had been lynched in Pakistan this week over alleged blasphemy would be flown to his home country on Monday (December 6).