Global News - Redeem the Oppressed

In Pakistan, a Sri Lankan man was beaten and burnt by a mob in the name of Islam

In the past religious minorities were Not safe in Pakistan and now even foreigners working in Pakistan are probably not safe. We must give credit to the Pakistani government and its establishment who are working tirelessly to make Pakistan one of the most extremist countries in the world.

Another incident in Pakistan has proved that this society is no longer for civilized people. On Friday, a mob of factory workers in East Pakistan tortured and burned Sri Lankan manager Priyantha Kumara at a sporting goods factory for insulting the Prophet of Islam.

Priyantha Kumara was dragged out of his office, tortured by a mob, and then beaten to death inside the factory. Videos circulating on social media showed the mob dragging his wounded body out, where they burned him, surrounded by hundreds of other people who encouraged the killers.

According to a police report, the assailants in the eastern town of Sialkot accused the manager of tearing up a poster with Islamic verses mentioning Muhammad. The report further said that the local police received a call at 11:24 am. Prior to the call, factory workers and a mob stormed the factory, and blocked the traffic.

Police have arrested more than 100 suspects, including main suspects, and a case has been registered in this regard. A handout issued by the Punjab police spokesperson; a case has been registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act with the police as complainant. He further said the role of the arrested people involved in the incident is being determined through CCTV footage.

Whereas there are hundreds of viral videos and pictures on the Pakistani social media, in these videos, people in the crowd chanting the popular slogan of a radical Islamist party, Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan, which staged a violent rally over the publications of caricatures of Islam’s prophet in France. The party gained prominence in Pakistan’s 2018 elections, campaigning on the single issue of defending the blasphemy law.

The Pakistani government who is did not curb the groups and parties that are fueling hatred and fanaticism in Pakistani society.

Earlier in October 2021, this group, who had full influence in the eastern part of Pakistan, forced the Pakistani government to kneel and lift sanctions and release its leader Saad Rizvi.

If this group had been properly controlled and countered, such gravitational events would not have happened. According to locals, the police arrived at the spot with deliberate delay. One of the reasons for the late arrival of the police was that seven police officers were killed by the same organization in October 2021. Instead of punishing all of them, the arrested members and leaders of this organization were released after an agreement.

Even this video on social media proves that Priyantha Kumara was burnt by the mob in the presence of the police. This is a shame for the Pakistani government and the Punjab police who are now unable to protect the foriegners in their country.

By Farrukh Saif

Farrukh Saif is a Pakistani human rights activist based in Germany. He founded his own organization, the Farrukh Saif Foundation (FSF), in 2009 with the goal of supporting marginalized and oppressed minorities in Pakistan who are affected by religious discrimination, blasphemy laws, forced conversions, abductions, rape, and bonded slavery. The main focus of the FSF is on the liberation of bonded laborers, particularly those working in brick kilns in rural areas of Pakistan. In 2018, the FSF merged with the US-based Emergency Committee to Save the Persecuted and Enslaved. Throughout his career, Farrukh has been a leading voice for the rights of minorities in Pakistan and has gained international attention for his campaigns against the misuse of blasphemy laws and the belief that asylum is not a crime. In 2014, he played a key role in the release of hundreds of asylum seekers from Thai jails and has worked with his legal team to save numerous victims of strict blasphemy laws in Pakistan. Farrukh has also been invited by the Hungarian government to discuss his work and the issues he addresses. In addition to his work with the FSF, Farrukh has also been involved in various other humanitarian efforts, including providing health care services to internally displaced persons in Khayber Pakhtoon Khawa in 2009 and assisting flood victims in Sindh and Punjab in 2010. He has worked to aid victimized minorities in Pakistan and has a strong track record of successfully advocating for their rights. Farrukh joined forces with Keith Davies in 2018 to co-found the Emergency Committee to Save The Persecuted and Enslaved, and since 2009, they have collectively successfully rescued more than 36000 individuals from slavery and persecution.