Hours after the brutal lynching of Sri Lankan manager Priyantha Kumara in Sialkot in Pakistan over allegations of blasphemy, the killers confessed to their crime on camera.
In a video that was shared on Twitter by journalist Hamid Mir, the accused men were heard as saying, “Paper pe Ya Hussain likha tha. Usne woh phad ke faink diya. Humne apne foreman ko kaha hai ki yeh galat hua hai. (inaudible) humne apni management se baat ki hai. Hum sab mil kar ikaththe hue hain. Aur uspe tel daal ke jala diya hai. Jo bhi aisa karega. Hamare rasool ke naam par jaan bhi kurbaan (from behind). Hamare hadiz mein hai ki jo bhi nabiyon ki shaan mein gustakhi karega uska sir tan se juda kiya jayega. (chants of nara e takbir, Labbaik ya Rasool allah and allah hu akbar) huzuraat ke naam par jaan bhi kurbaan (from behind).”
They further added, “Mohammad Kalam naam hai mera. Farhan. Mohammad Farhan. Paper pe ya hussain likhe tha. usne aake phada hai. Phad kar (dustbin) mein daal diya hai. Woh humse bardasht nahi hua. Humne us se baat ki hai. Woh keh rahe hai ki galt hai. Humne kaha yeh na aage na manager se baat karein. Isne jo bhi kiya hai galt kiya hai. To woh keh rahe ki hum baat karte hain aage. Abhi bhi baat honi hai tab tak humne kaam nahi karna. Kehte hain ki theek hai. Fir humne ladke liye hain. Aur bhi saath aaya. Fir humne na usko yahan par jala diya hai.“
توہین رسالت کے ملزم کو عدالت سے سزا دلوانے کی بجائے اسے خود سزا دینے پر فخر کرنے والوں کو یہ نہیں معلوم کہ اسلام میں لاش کی بے حرمتی اور اسے جلانے کی کوئی گنجائش نہیں ہے #Sialkot pic.twitter.com/UuR3ScBizc
— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) December 3, 2021
The loose translation of their statement goes as, “The name of Hussain was written on the paper. He tore the paper and threw it. I had informed my colleague that it was wrong. (inaudible) I had even talked to the management. And we had assembled together for the cause. We poured oil and set him on fire. Anyone who does will be meted out the same treatment. We are ready to sacrifice our lives for Prophet Muhammad. It is clearly mentioned in our Hadith that we must behead those who insult our Prophets (chants of Nara e Takbir, Labbaik ya Rasool Allah and Allah hu Akbar). Ready to sacrifice life for Prophet (from behind). My name is Mohammad Kalam. Farhan. Mohammed Farhan. The name of Hussain was written on paper. He came and threw it in the dustbin. We could not tolerate it. We have talked to him. We had requested to talk to the manager about his wrong deeds. We decided to not work. We brought in men and set him on fire.”
Pakistan forced to act against Islamists after pressure from Sri Lanka
In a tweet, Namal Rajapaksha wrote, “The brutal murder of Priyantha Diyawadana by extremist mobs in Pakistan is incomprehensible. While I appreciate PM @ImranKhanPTI’s promise to bring those responsible to justice, we should be mindful that this could happen to anyone if extremist forces are allowed to act freely.” Rajapaksha is a Sri Lankan MP and son of the incumbent Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksha.
The brutal murder of Priyantha Diyawadana by extremist mobs in Pakistan is incomprehensible. While I appreciate PM @ImranKhanPTI‘s promise to bring those responsible to justice, we should be mindful that this could happen to anyone if extremist forces are allowed to act freely.
— Namal Rajapaksa (@RajapaksaNamal) December 3, 2021
Foreign Ministry spokesman Sugeeshwara Gunaratna had also directed the Imran Khan-led government to take legal action into the matter. Following diplomatic pressure from the Sri Lankan government, Pakistan was forced to act on the Islamists who killed Priyantha Kumara. As per reportsr, a team of 10 was deployed by the Punjab police to nab the accused and submit a report to the Inspector General within 48 hours. The police have so far nabbed primary accused Farhan Idrees, who was earlier seen in the viral confession video.
تحریک لبیک کے نعرے لگاتے ہوئے سری لنکن منیجر کو قتل کرنے کی ذمہ داری قبول کرنے والے سیالکوٹ کے نوجوان کو پنجاب پولیس نے گرفتار کر لیا ہے۔ pic.twitter.com/pnOGYMRSFB
— The Pakistan Daily (@ThePakDaily) December 3, 2021
With the help of CCTV footage, the police were able to apprehend 100s of people for partaking in the heinous crime. On Saturday (December 4), the cops arrested the second accused named Talha, responsible for inciting the mob.
