Noted Islamic scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani on Saturday condemned the incident in Sialkot in which a mob lynched a Sri Lankan factory manager, saying that it has “disgraced” Pakistan and the Muslim Ummah. A day earlier, Diyawadanage Don Nandasri Priyantha, who had been working as a manager at a private factory on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot, was tortured to death and his body set on fire by a mob over allegations of blasphemy.
In a message on social media, the former judge of the Federal Shariat Court said that blasphemy is an extremely heinous crime but it requires equally strong evidence to prove it. “Taking it upon oneself to lay accusation and mete out punishment in a barbaric and haram way has no justification at all,” Mufti Taqi said. The incident has shocked the nation with top government functionaries and senior politicians condemning the incident. Former chairman of the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman condemned the incident but called on the media to desist from attributing blame to any group or individual before completion of investigations into the matter. “Anarchy and lawlessness spread in society, which are not in any way beneficial for the country, and a negative image is created of the country on the international level,” he is quoted as saying in a statement.
