According to Geo News, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore condemned six people to death for their roles in the murder of Sri Lankan manufacturing manager Priyantha Kumara. In the murder case, 89 men have been charged, nine of whom are juveniles. Nine of them have been sentenced to life in prison, while 72 others have been sentenced to two years in prison.
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A mob killing in Pakistan of a Sri Lankan man accused of blasphemy has provoked protests in both nations. Perhaps, the Pakistan’s government condemning the mob violence.
On Friday, Priyantha Diyawadanage, 48, a plant manager in Sialkot, was beaten to death. Moreover, his body set on fire. However, the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, ordered to arrest about 100 people so far. Plus, he’s called the incident a “day of shame for his country.”
On other hand, the victim’s relatives in Sri Lanka has expressed their sadness to the BBC. Nilushi Dissanayaka, his wife, has urged for a complete investigation by both the Pakistani and Sri Lankan governments. Moreover, she pleaded to bring justice to her husband and the father of two children. Over the weekend, videos of the lynching went viral on social media. It showed footage of an enraged throng dragging Mr Diyawadanage from his employment and beating him to death. They then set fire to his body, and several spectators were spotted snapping selfies with it.
What triggered the lynch mob?
According to local police commanders, the violence began after rumors spread that Mr Diyawadanage had supposedly committed blasphemy by ripping down posters bearing the Prophet Muhammad’s name. Mr Diyawadanage had just removed the posters because the building was due to be cleaned, according to a colleague who hurried to the scene in an attempt to save him. On contrary, his wife disputed the accusation of blasphemy.
“I categorically deny accusations that my husband tore down factory posters. He was a completely blameless individual “She told the BBC about it”. He was acutely aware of Pakistan’s living conditions. It’s a Muslim-majority country. He recognized what he shouldn’t do there, and that’s how he lasted eleven years there. The scope of the brutal slaughter on Friday, which involved hundreds of individuals, stunned the country and prompted vigils.
Prime Minister Imran Khan denounced the “horrific vigilante attack” and promised that “all those responsible will face the full force of the law”. Speaking insultingly about a particular religion or god is referred to as blasphemy. Anyone who abuses Islam in Pakistan could face the death penalty.
Disturbing a religious assembly, trespassing on burial grounds, insulting religious beliefs, or willfully harming or defiling a place or object of worship are all prohibited under the country’s blasphemy law. Making disrespectful statements about Islamic figures is illegal, and in 1982, a section was inserted that stipulated life imprisonment for “willful” mutilation of the Koran, the Muslim holy book. A separate clause was added in 1986 to penalize blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad, with the sentence proposed being “death or life imprisonment”. Even false accusations can spark protests and mob violence against accused criminals in Pakistan. Human rights activists have long claimed that minorities are frequently accused, murder.
