Sri Lankan man lynched to death, body torched in public in Pakistan over ‘blasphemy’

Islamabad, Dec 3: A heart-wrenching incident took place in Pakistan’s Sialkot area on Friday when a mob reportedly tortured a Sri Lankan national to death and then burned his body in public. According to reports, the incident took place on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot, where the man, identified as Priyantha Kumara, an export manager for private factories in Pakistan was allegedly lynched by a mob of factory workers over ‘blasphemy’. The police are yet to determine the real cause of the incident, however, the spokesperson for Sialkot police said details would be shared with the media after the initial investigation. The Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has also shown his reaction to the incident bay terming it as a “very tragic incident”. "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. The horrific incident has also drawn critical attention of the international human rights, NGO Amnesty International South Asia. "Deeply alarmed by the disturbing lynching and killing" of the Sri Lankan over a blasphemy accusation," Amnesty International South Asia said through a tweet.