Perpetrators of Sialkot lynching incident will be brought to justice soon: FM Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi vowed to bring the perpetrators of the Sialkot incident, in which a Sri Lankan man was beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob in Sialkot after they accused him of blasphemy, to justice soon.

Read more: Malik Adnan dedicates award to Priyantha Kumara, people of Sri Lanka

Addressing the first session of the ‘Shah Rukn-e-Alam Conference’ in Multan on Friday, the minister said that he had expressed deep grief and condolences with his Sri Lankan counterpart on the lynching of their citizen in Sialkot, said Radio Pakistan.

Qureshi said that “our civil society, our religious scholars and people from all walks of life believe that such incidents are against the spirit and teachings of Islam.

The vigilante attack sparked outrage, with Prime Minister Imran Khan calling it a “day of shame for Pakistan”.

Earlier this week on Monday, Pakistani officials repatriated the remains of the Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara.

Police have so far arrested 131 people including 26 prime suspects who have been remanded in custody, Sialkot police spokesperson Khurram Shehzad earlier told AFP.

Several gruesome video clips shared on social media showed a mob beating the prone victim. Many in the crowd made no attempt to hide their identity and some took selfies in front of the burning corpse.

Read more: Govt decides to implement strategy to curb Sialkot-like incidents

However, PM Imran announced Tamgha-e-Shujaat, the top medal of bravery would be awarded to Malik Adnan who had attempted to save Kumara, endangering his own life. Adnan has dedicated the medal to Kumara and the people of Sri Lanka.