ISLAMABAD: A mob in Sialkot today tortured a Sri Lankan factory manager, working in Sialkot and set ablaze his body. The deceased was working in a factory as an export manager.
The incident took place on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot, where the workers of private factories attacked the export manager of a factory and burnt his body after killing him. The allegation of blasphemy is being cited being this gruesome killing of a Sri Lankan, who was working as Manager Exports in a local factory in Sialkot, hub of sports and surgical exports in Pakistan.
Sialkot District Police Officer Umar Saeed Malik said the man, identified as Priyantha Kumara, was a Sri Lankan national.
Videos shared on social media showed hundreds of men and young boys gathered at the site. In some of the videos, groups of men can be heard chanting slogans.
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar took notice of the murder, terming it as a “very tragic incident”, while the spokesperson for Sialkot police said details would be shared with the media after initial investigation.
Buzdar has summoned a report from the inspector general of police and ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter.
“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.
Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Sardar Ali Khan also took notice of the incident and directed the Gujranwala regional police officer to reach the location immediately.
“The Sialkot DPO is present on the spot. All aspects of the incident should be investigated,” the IGP said.
A similar incident in Sialkot in 2010 had shook the country when an angry mob had lynched two brothers in the presence of police, declaring them dacoits. The incident sparked shock and horror across the country as cellphone footage of the heinous murders was uploaded to video-sharing sites.
