Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Mian Imran Akbar strongly condemned the brutal killing of Sri Lankan national Priyantha Diyawadana in Sialkot and said “personal vendetta” on part of some labourers in the garb of alleged religious tilt led to the heinous incident.
“Studying the details of the case, it was found that Priyantha was a thorough professional known for his stern production standards,” said the SCCI president in a statement issued on Saturday evening.
Akbar pointed out that an urgent meeting of the business leaders of Sialkot was also convened wherein chairpersons of all trade associations of the city participated and condemned the horrible act. “The business community resolved to formulate policies to avoid any such incidents in future,” he added.
He stressed that each faction should abide by laws and ethics to protect the very social fabric of the country, urging the government to crack down on all perpetrators and inciters and bring them to a befitting justice.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), while expressing grief and sorrow over the senseless killing of the Sri Lankan national, said that it was unfortunate that the incident was being attributed to his party.
He said that TLP stood with the oppressed and was against every oppressor and the usage of blasphemy allegations for personal purposes was highly condemnable. “The slogan Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (PBUH) belonged to every Muslim but attributing such incident to TLP was unfair,” he added.
A mob in Sialkot tortured a Sri Lankan man, who was working as a manager at a local factory, to death over blasphemy allegations before burning his body on Friday, police said.
The incident took place on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot, where the workers of private factories attacked the export manager of the factory and burnt his body after killing him.
Videos shared on social media showed hundreds of men and young boys gathered at the site, with groups of them chanting slogans.
