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Sri Lanka demands apology from ‘lynch justifying’ Pakistan Minister 

08 Dec 2021

 
  • Said killing was by ‘angry, charged youth, swept away by religious emotions’ 
  • GoSL, Opposition unified in demand 
  • Pakistan national who tried to save victim dedicates award to deceased and Sri Lanka 
  BY Buddhika Samaraweera  Several Government and Opposition politicians have stressed that Pakistan’s Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, who has allegedly justified the murder of Priyantha Kumara by a violent mob in Sialkot on 3 December, should apologise to the world for the said statement.  Khattak, according to international media, had labelled the killing of Kumara by a violent mob in Pakistan, saying that it was an act of “angry, charged youth who were swept away by religious emotions”. He has said: “Even I can get excited and do wrong when it comes to religion. Therefore, instead of blaming the Government, it is the responsibility of the media to explain these to the people.”  Speaking in the Parliament yesterday (8), Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Opposition Parliamentarian Dr. Kavinda Heshan Jayawardhana said: “I would like to condemn the statement made by Khattak. He has said that those who killed Kumara were children and that they were emotional. However, I would like to tell him that if he considers these extremists children, he is insulting the children of Pakistan. Khattak, who has allegedly justified the murder of Kumara by a violent mob in Sialkot on 3 December, should apologise to the world.”  He further claimed that Khattak must be having some connection with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) since the latter group was seen trying to whitewash the TLP even after witnessing the brutal killing of Kumara by TLP supporters.  “Those people were terrorists and racists. Even the people in Sri Lanka are made of flesh and blood. We also have emotions, but we have, at no point, reacted in the way that those terrorists have reacted. Therefore, I would expect Khattak to apologise to the world over the statement he made justifying the killing of Kumara. We urge the Pakistani Government and Khattak to apologise over his statement,”  Dr. Jayawardhana added.  Meanwhile, Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd.) Sarath Weerasekera also expressed his displeasure over the statement of Khattak about the killing of Kumara, where he has said that the killing was committed by some enraged children. Paying his last respects to the remains of Kumara, Weerasekera on 7 December said: “We heard that Khattak has claimed that this incident is a normal occurrence by angry youngsters. I vehemently condemn that statement.” However Khattak, on Tuesday, issued a clarification regarding his earlier statement and said that he “vehemently condemns” the incident because “Islam does not allow the killing of humans, irrespective of their religious beliefs”. In a video message, the Minister said that he was issuing the clarification as his earlier statement had received a lot of backlash in Pakistan. “I was asked whether the Sialkot lynching occurred because of the deal between the Government and the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), and in response, I had said that no political party or the Government should be associated with the incident. Those involved in the incident acted on their own, and did something wrong,” he said, adding that the Government is trying its best to punish the culprits in a way so as to make an example out of them in Pakistan. Furthermore, the Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees’ Union (FTZGSEU) in a letter to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has requested to adequately compensate Kumara’s family. The FTZGSEU has also called on Premier Khan to instruct the owner of Rajco Industries – Sports Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Company, being Kumara’s employer, to pay gratuity and compensation to Kumara’s family for the service rendered to the company for 11 years.  The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has, in a letter dated 6 December, to Premier Khan, also requested the Pakistani Government and other law enforcement agencies to ensure the conduct of an impartial and thorough investigation into the killing of Kumara and to enforce the law to its fullest against those responsible. The letter further read that the BASL would closely monitor the progress of the investigations into the matter and that it has already reached out to and sought the assistance of the Pakistani Bar. Meanwhile, the Pakistani national named Malik Adnan, who tried to save Kumara from the violent mob on 3 December, and was later awarded the Tamgha-i-Shujaat or “Medal of Bravery” for “endangering his own life by physically trying to shield the victim”, said that he has dedicated the award given to him by Premier Khan to Kumara and the Sri Lankan people. A mob comprising hundreds of protestors, including the employees of the factory of which Kumara was the General Manager, had tortured him to death on 3 December and later burnt his body. His remains which were airlifted by a SriLankan Airlines flight arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake on 6 December. The remains were later handed over to his family and the last rites were held yesterday. International media have reported that eight more suspects have been arrested by the Punjab Police yesterday on suspicion of their involvement in the killing of Kumara. A spokesperson of the Punjab Police has said that eight more key suspects have been apprehended with the help of closed circuit television (CCTV) footage, mobile phone call data, and videos.

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