Prime Minister Imran Khan vows to take strict action against those involved in the horrific Sialkot incident. Terming the incident as shameful, PM Khan warned that all those responsible will be punished.
Taking to Twitter, PM Khan also revealed that he will personally oversee the investigation of the Sialkot disaster.
“The horrific vigilante attack on a factory in Sialkot & the burning alive of Sri Lankan manager is a day of shame for Pakistan,” PM Khan tweeted.
“I am overseeing the investigations & let there be no mistake all those responsible will be punished with the full severity of the law. Arrests are in progress,” he further added.
The horrific vigilante attack on factory in Sialkot & the burning alive of Sri Lankan manager is a day of shame for Pakistan. I am overseeing the investigations & let there be no mistake all those responsible will be punished with full severity of the law. Arrests are in progress
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) December 3, 2021
PM Khan’s remarks came hours after the Sialkot disaster.
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The horrific Sialkot incident
Friday, an angry mob beat to death a Sri Lankan man working as a manager at a local factory in Sialkot over blasphemy allegations. After that, they burned his body in the middle of the road.
Disturbing videos of the incident went viral on social media. The videos showed hundreds of people gathered at the site. According to information by the Sialkot Police Chief, the factory workers accused the victim of desecrating posters bearing the name of the Holy Prophet. As a result, the mob lynched the man.
Subsequently, authorities soon became mobilized. The Punjab IG revealed that the police obtained CCTV footage to identify the culprits. Later, the police announced that it arrested around 100 people, including one of the main culprits.
سیالکوٹ واقعہ میں پولیس نے تشدد کرنے اور اشتعال انگیزی میں ملوث ملزمان میں سے ایک مرکزی ملزم فرحان ادریس کو گرفتار کر لیا ہے۔ 100سے زائد افراد کو حراست میں لےلیا ہےآئی جی پنجاب سارے معاملہ کی خود نگرانی کر رہے ہیں باقی ملزمان کی گرفتاری کیلیے چھاپے مارے جارہے ہیں@UsmanAKBuzdar pic.twitter.com/v7YOpQxwXs
— Punjab Police Official (@OfficialDPRPP) December 3, 2021
Read more: Foreign national lynched over alleged blasphemy in Sialkot
Pakistan’s reaction to the Sialkot disaster
Needless to say, Pakistan is in utter shock over the incident. Citizens strongly condemned the horrific act, while government officials vowed to take strict action. Subsequently, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa directed for all-out support to the civil administration to arrest the perpetrators of this “heinous crime” and bring them to justice.
PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif called the incident “utterly horrific and shocking.” Furthermore, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz asked whether this brutality was our identity as well as the future for coming generations.
سیالکوٹ میں ہونے والے دل خراش واقعہ نے دل چیر کے رکھ دیا۔ کیا یہ درندگی ہماری پہچان اور ہمارا اور آنے والی نسلوں کامستقبل ہے؟ کیا یہ ملک ایک محفوظ ملک تصور ہو گا ؟ حکومت نام کی کوئی چیز موجود نہیں، انسان سوال کرے بھی تو کس سے کرے؟
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) December 3, 2021
Most importantly, Pakistan’s religious leaders also condemned the incident. Maulana Tariq Jameel said that taking the law into one’s own hands on the basis of a mere accusation was against the teachings of Islam.
“There is no room for violence and extremism in Islam,” he said, calling on religious scholars to play a positive role in preventing extremism in the country.
سیالکوٹ میں ناموسِ رسالت کی آڑ میں غیر ملکی کو زندہ جلا دینے کا واقعہ انتہائی افسوسناک ہے. محض الزام کی بنیاد پر قانون کو ہاتھ میں لینا اسلامی تعلیمات کے خلاف ہے. اسلام میں تشدد اورشدت پسندی کی کوئی جگہ نہیں. علماء کرام انتہا پسندی کو روکنے میں مثبت کردار ادا کریں.#Sialkot
— Tariq Jamil (@TariqJamilOFCL) December 3, 2021
Additionally, Special Representative for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi condemned the lynching on “behalf of all ulemas.” He also said that it “defaced Islam”.