Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa joined the country’s parliament on Saturday in condemning the brutal lynching of a Sri Lankan man in Pakistan’s Sialkot region allegedly over “blasphemy” charges.

The Sri Lankan government and the Opposition were united in urging the Sri Lankan authorities to have talks with Islamabad to ensure the safety of the rest of the Sri Lankan workers in Pakistan.

Rajapaksa hoped that his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan would ensure justice to the victim’s family members.

Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Rajapaksa said: “Shocking to see the brutal and fatal attack on Priyantha Diyawadana by extremist mobs in #Pakistan. My heart goes out to his wife and family. #SriLanka and her people are confident that PM @ImranKhanPTI will keep to his commitment to bring all those involved to justice.”

Khan, who termed the incident “as a day of shame for Pakistan”, said that he is overseeing the investigation and ensured that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

“The horrific vigilante attack on a factory in Sialkot &amp; the burning alive of a Sri Lankan manager is a day of shame for Pakistan. I am overseeing the investigations &amp; let there be no mistake, all those responsible will be punished with full severity of the law. Arrests are in progress,” he tweeted.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nearly-800-people-arrested-for-killing-sri-lankan-man-in-pakistan-reports-434120">Nearly 800 people arrested for killing Sri Lankan man in Pakistan: Reports</a>

Expressing similar views, Pakistan President Arif Alvi tweeted, “The Sialkot incident is definitely very sad &amp; shameful, and not religious in any way whatsoever. Islam is a religion that established cannons of deliberative justice rather than mob lynchings.”

Meanwhile, around 800 people were booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act on Saturday.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistani-mob-tortures-sri-lankan-man-to-death-burns-body-for-tearing-up-posters-of-radical-islamist-party-433821">Pakistani mob tortures Sri Lankan man to death, burns body for tearing up posters of radical Islamist party</a>

Farhan Idrees has been identified as one of the key suspects for killing the Sri Lankan national, Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana. He has been detained, according to local media reports.

On Friday, Diyawadana, who was in his 40s, was lynched and his body burnt in public by a group of frenzied mob who were allegedly supporters of radical Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), which was previously banned.

Watch

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/pakistani-mob-tortures-sri-lankan-man-to-death-burnt-for-blasphemy-433978/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Diyawadana, from Sri Lanka’s Kandy, was working as the general manager at a garment factory in Sialkot district, some 100 kilometres from Lahore.

According to reports, the mob were enraged after Diyawadana tore a poster of the hardline TLP in which Quranic verses were inscribed and threw it in the dustbin.

“Kumara allegedly tore a poster of the hardline TLP in which Quranic verses were inscribed and threw it in the dustbin. The poster of the Islamist party was pasted on the wall adjoining the office of Kumara. A couple of factory workers saw him removing the poster and spread the word in the factory,” according to a police official in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Hundreds of men, triggered over the “blasphemy” incident, started gathering outside the factory from adjoining areas and tortured him to death, before setting his body ablaze.

(With inputs from agencies)

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa joined the country’s parliament on Saturday in condemning the brutal lynching of a Sri Lankan man in Pakistan’s Sialkot region allegedly over “blasphemy” charges.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa joined the country’s parliament on Saturday in condemning the brutal lynching of a Sri Lankan man in Pakistan’s Sialkot region allegedly over “blasphemy” charges. The Sri Lankan government and the Opposition were united in urging the Sri Lankan authorities to have talks with Islamabad to ensure the safety of the rest of the Sri Lankan workers in Pakistan. Rajapaksa hoped that his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan would ensure justice to the victim’s family members. Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Rajapaksa said: “Shocking to see the brutal and fatal attack on Priyantha Diyawadana by extremist mobs in #Pakistan. My heart goes out to his wife and family. #SriLanka and her people are confident that PM @ImranKhanPTI will keep to his commitment to bring all those involved to justice.” Khan, who termed the incident “as a day of shame for Pakistan”, said that he is overseeing the investigation and ensured that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. “The horrific vigilante attack on a factory in Sialkot & the burning alive of a 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,” he tweeted. Also read | Nearly 800 people arrested for killing Sri Lankan man in Pakistan: Reports Expressing similar views, Pakistan President Arif Alvi tweeted, “The Sialkot incident is definitely very sad & shameful, and not religious in any way whatsoever. Islam is a religion that established cannons of deliberative justice rather than mob lynchings.” Meanwhile, around 800 people were booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act on Saturday. Also read | Pakistani mob tortures Sri Lankan man to death, burns body for tearing up posters of radical Islamist party Farhan Idrees has been identified as one of the key suspects for killing the Sri Lankan national, Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana. He has been detained, according to local media reports. On Friday, Diyawadana, who was in his 40s, was lynched and his body burnt in public by a group of frenzied mob who were allegedly supporters of radical Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), which was previously banned. Watch Diyawadana, from Sri Lanka’s Kandy, was working as the general manager at a garment factory in Sialkot district, some 100 kilometres from Lahore. According to reports, the mob were enraged after Diyawadana tore a poster of the hardline TLP in which Quranic verses were inscribed and threw it in the dustbin. “Kumara allegedly tore a poster of the hardline TLP in which Quranic verses were inscribed and threw it in the dustbin. The poster of the Islamist party was pasted on the wall adjoining the office of Kumara. A couple of factory workers saw him removing the poster and spread the word in the factory,” according to a police official in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Hundreds of men, triggered over the “blasphemy” incident, started gathering outside the factory from adjoining areas and tortured him to death, before setting his body ablaze. (With inputs from agencies)

Sri Lankan Parliament, PM Rajapaksa condemn brutal lynching of Lankan man over 'blasphemy' in Pakistan

Thousands of people in northwestern Pakistan rallied on Friday in support of the man who allegedly killed a US citizen inside a courtroom in the city of Peshawar. 
&nbsp; 
The demonstrators in Karachi were praising the accused for the killing, demanding his immediate release from jail and saying he did what was expected of the government.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/south-asia/welcome-to-pakistan-a-state-where-murder-in-courtroom-is-celebrated-317118">Welcome to Pakistan: A state where murder in courtroom is celebrated</a>

"We are not in favour of taking the law into our own hands, but he did what the government should have done two years ago," said Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai, who led the rally, told the news agency the Associated Press.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/us-citizen-accused-of-blasphemy-shot-dead-in-pakistan-courtroom-316959">US citizen accused of blasphemy shot dead in Pakistan courtroom</a>&nbsp;

Tahir Naseem, a US citizen, was gunned down in a courtroom on Thursday during his trial for blasphemy.&nbsp;

He died before he was taken to hospital and the gunman was arrested.&nbsp;

On Thursday too, several people in the social media and politicians lauded the accused of committing the crime.&nbsp;

The US Statement also reacted strongly against the killing and asked Pakistan to reform "often-abused" blasphemy laws.&nbsp;

"We are shocked, saddened, and outraged that American citizen Tahir Naseem was killed yesterday inside a Pakistani courtroom," the State Department said, in a statement, on Thursday.

The statement also said the victim was "lured to Pakistan" from his home in Illinois and was entrapped by the controversial law.&nbsp;

"We urge Pakistan to immediately reform its often abused blasphemy laws and its court system, which allow such abuses to occur, and to ensure that the suspect is prosecuted to the full extent of the law," the statement said.

Naseem was facing a trial after it was alleged that he declared himself Islam's prophet.&nbsp;

The blasphemy law in Pakistan has been criticised a lot by human rights activists and other nations, which even result in a death sentence.

Also, often, the mere allegation of insulting Islam has led to vigilantes and mobs brutally killing the accused.

Thousands of people in northwestern Pakistan rallied on Friday in support of the man who allegedly killed a US citizen inside a courtroom in the city of Peshawar.

Thousands of people in northwestern Pakistan rallied on Friday in support of the man who allegedly killed a US citizen inside a courtroom in the city of Peshawar. The demonstrators in Karachi were praising the accused for the killing, demanding his immediate release from jail and saying he did what was expected of the government. Also read | Welcome to Pakistan: A state where murder in courtroom is celebrated "We are not in favour of taking the law into our own hands, but he did what the government should have done two years ago," said Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai, who led the rally, told the news agency the Associated Press. Also read | US citizen accused of blasphemy shot dead in Pakistan courtroom Tahir Naseem, a US citizen, was gunned down in a courtroom on Thursday during his trial for blasphemy. He died before he was taken to hospital and the gunman was arrested. On Thursday too, several people in the social media and politicians lauded the accused of committing the crime. The US Statement also reacted strongly against the killing and asked Pakistan to reform "often-abused" blasphemy laws. "We are shocked, saddened, and outraged that American citizen Tahir Naseem was killed yesterday inside a Pakistani courtroom," the State Department said, in a statement, on Thursday. The statement also said the victim was "lured to Pakistan" from his home in Illinois and was entrapped by the controversial law. "We urge Pakistan to immediately reform its often abused blasphemy laws and its court system, which allow such abuses to occur, and to ensure that the suspect is prosecuted to the full extent of the law," the statement said. Naseem was facing a trial after it was alleged that he declared himself Islam's prophet. The blasphemy law in Pakistan has been criticised a lot by human rights activists and other nations, which even result in a death sentence. Also, often, the mere allegation of insulting Islam has led to vigilantes and mobs brutally killing the accused.

Pakistan: Thousands rally for accused in US citizen murder case

Take a look at Pakistan's new youth icon, national hero: Khalid Khan. He is literally being lionised as social media is flooded with the image of Khalid with a lion in the background.&nbsp;

There are virtual rose petals being showered on him and called as 'Aashiq-e-Rasool' (Lover of the Prophet). Even Pakistani leaders are singing praises for this young man.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-this-pakistani-man-killed-a-us-citizen-in-a-court-317114/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The reason being Khalid receiving so much love and affection is because he killed a man, inside a Peshawar courtroom, in front of a judge on Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/us-citizen-accused-of-blasphemy-shot-dead-in-pakistan-courtroom-316959">US citizen accused of blasphemy shot dead in Pakistan courtroom</a>

The man who was murdered is Tahir Ahmad Naseem, a US citizen. Tahir was formerly as Ahmadiyya Muslim, the most persecuted community in Pakistan.

He was booked for blasphemy in 2018 for allegedly claiming to be the ''last prophet of Islam".

Reports suggest he was mentally ill and the law under which he was booked could have given him death sentence anyway.&nbsp;

However, none of this matters in Pakistan.

In Pakistan, an act of blasphemy risks a violent and bloody death at the hands of vigilantes.&nbsp;

Visuals tell us that a man was killed inside a courtroom before his trial ended and Pakistan is celebrating this killing.&nbsp;

These instances speak for themselves what decades of religious polarisation could do.&nbsp;

Many such religious groups in Pakistan have routinely abused blasphemy laws to target the Ahmadiyya community and minorities.&nbsp;

Earlier this month, a Christian man was gunned down in Peshawar because he bought a house in a Muslim neighbourhood.&nbsp;

Another Christian man, a pastor and his wife, who were accused of land grab, were beaten and driven away by their Muslim neighbours in a village in eastern Punjab.&nbsp;

If this looks appalling, then how can one describe Shahbaz Bhatti's killing.

Shahbaz was Pakistan's first federal minister for minorities affairs.

He was the only Christian in the Pakistan cabinet till 2011, who was shot dead by extremists for criticising blasphemy laws.&nbsp;

If a minister faces such violence, forget about the security of a common man.&nbsp;

Let's look at some of the facts.

Since 1987, more than 1,500 people in Pakistan have been accused of blasphemy.&nbsp;

Nearly 50 per cent of these accused belong to the minority communities, despite the fact that minorities make up only three per cent of Pakistan's total population.&nbsp;

A US watchdog on religious freedom estimates that at least 80 individuals remain in Pakistani prisons on blasphemy charges and around half of them face a life sentence or the death penalty.

Many of these cases don't reach their logical conclusion as extremists like Khalid take matters into their own hands and then declared national heroes.&nbsp;

Take a look at Pakistan's new youth icon, national hero: Khalid Khan. He is literally being lionised as social media is flooded with the image of Khalid with a lion in the background.

Take a look at Pakistan's new youth icon, national hero: Khalid Khan. He is literally being lionised as social media is flooded with the image of Khalid with a lion in the background. There are virtual rose petals being showered on him and called as 'Aashiq-e-Rasool' (Lover of the Prophet). Even Pakistani leaders are singing praises for this young man. Watch | The reason being Khalid receiving so much love and affection is because he killed a man, inside a Peshawar courtroom, in front of a judge on Wednesday afternoon. Also read | US citizen accused of blasphemy shot dead in Pakistan courtroom The man who was murdered is Tahir Ahmad Naseem, a US citizen. Tahir was formerly as Ahmadiyya Muslim, the most persecuted community in Pakistan. He was booked for blasphemy in 2018 for allegedly claiming to be the ''last prophet of Islam". Reports suggest he was mentally ill and the law under which he was booked could have given him death sentence anyway. However, none of this matters in Pakistan. In Pakistan, an act of blasphemy risks a violent and bloody death at the hands of vigilantes. Visuals tell us that a man was killed inside a courtroom before his trial ended and Pakistan is celebrating this killing. These instances speak for themselves what decades of religious polarisation could do. Many such religious groups in Pakistan have routinely abused blasphemy laws to target the Ahmadiyya community and minorities. Earlier this month, a Christian man was gunned down in Peshawar because he bought a house in a Muslim neighbourhood. Another Christian man, a pastor and his wife, who were accused of land grab, were beaten and driven away by their Muslim neighbours in a village in eastern Punjab. If this looks appalling, then how can one describe Shahbaz Bhatti's killing. Shahbaz was Pakistan's first federal minister for minorities affairs. He was the only Christian in the Pakistan cabinet till 2011, who was shot dead by extremists for criticising blasphemy laws. If a minister faces such violence, forget about the security of a common man. Let's look at some of the facts. Since 1987, more than 1,500 people in Pakistan have been accused of blasphemy. Nearly 50 per cent of these accused belong to the minority communities, despite the fact that minorities make up only three per cent of Pakistan's total population. A US watchdog on religious freedom estimates that at least 80 individuals remain in Pakistani prisons on blasphemy charges and around half of them face a life sentence or the death penalty. Many of these cases don't reach their logical conclusion as extremists like Khalid take matters into their own hands and then declared national heroes.

Welcome to Pakistan: A state where murder in courtroom is celebrated