A day after a Sri Lankan manager named Priyantha Kumara was lynched to death by an Islamist mob in Sialkot in Pakistan, an eyewitness conceded that the deceased did not commit any act of blasphemy.
While speaking to The Pakistan Daily, the eyewitness named Naseer Mehmood recounted, “I work nearby. At around 11-12 pm every day, I go home. It was the same case yesterday. The workers in the factory had tortured the manager. I have a video of the assault that took place inside. Someone has committed this mischief. (Priyantha) was staying here for so long that he could not have committed blasphemy. A grave injustice was meted out to him.”
Naseer informed that he was present at the site, where the mutilated body of the deceased was set on fire. He said that he was pushed and shoved by the lynch mob at that time. “This incident has brought disrepute to Islam. It is a conspiracy to shame our Faith,” he added. Naseer then went on to quote Hadiths to claim that Prophet Muhammad was a ‘peaceful’ man, who believed in the notion of forgiveness.
سیالکوٹ واقعے کے ایک عینی شاہد کا کہنا ہے کہ راجکو انڈسٹریز کے ملازمین نے سری لنکن منیجر پریانتھا کمارا کو بری طرح زدوکوب کیا تھا اور یہ واقعہ کسی شرارت کی وجہ سے ہوسکتا ہے کیونکہ پریانتھا کئی سالوں سے کام کر رہے تھی لیکن کبھی کوئی مذہبی مسئلہ نہیں تھا۔#سیالکوٹ#Sialkot pic.twitter.com/rE1bOnYbIY
— The Pakistan Daily (@ThePakDaily) December 4, 2021
Perpetrators admit to the crime, Pakistan acts after Sri Lankan directive
In a viral confession video, two of the accused involved in the heinous crime had admitted, “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 commits blasphemy 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 “
Following diplomatic pressure from the Sri Lankan government, Pakistan was forced to act on the Islamists who killed Priyantha Kumara. As per reports, 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.
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.
