Sri Lankan GM was set on fire by Pakistan mob on road

Two months back, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan almost begged New Zealand’s counterpart Jacinda Ardern to continue the Kiwis visit to Pakistan. But New Zealand players were fearful of their lives because of terrorist activities in Pakistan. The attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009 was the first time cricketers had been directly targeted by terrorists. But incidents are inevitable in Pakistan to create terror in other nations. Furious workers of a garment factory in Sialkot tortured their Sri Lankan general manager to death over allegations of blasphemy and set the body on fire.

Sialkot is the district of Pakistan’s Punjab province. The man is identified as Priyantha Kumara who is General Manager of a garment factory in Sialkot. The man was tortured and kicked before setting his lifeless body on fire. The mob was shouted anti-blasphemy slogans while attacking the Sri Lankan man. People have captured the visuals of the horror incident. There is an allegation against a Sri Lankan man that he was accused of desecrating posters bearing the name of Prophet Muhammad. He reportedly tore a pamphlet of the hardline group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in presence of workers.

They saw when Kumara removed the poster on the wall of his office that caused enraged the mob gathering outside the factory from all areas. Reportedly, the mob included a large number of TLP activists. TLP has continued in carrying out violent anti-blasphemy demonstrations. The hardline group anti-France campaign over Paris based satirical caricatures of Prophet. Imran Khan Government has recently lifted the ban on TLP after signing a hidden and controversial agreement with TLP. Imran termed the incident a horrific attack and said it was a day of shame for Pakistan. The incident has sent shockwaves across Pakistan. Sri Lankan Parliament has condemned the gruesome incident and expects Pakistani authorities will probe and do justice to Kumara.