PESHAWAR: Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak issued a clarification on Tuesday saying that he “vehemently condemns” the Sialkot lynching, days after his speech in which he suggested that “murders take place” when young people get emotional.
In a video message, the minister said that his earlier statement has been doing rounds on media so he would like to issue a clarification in this regard. Khattak said he “vehemently condemns” the incident because “Islam does not allow the killing of humans, irrespective of their religious beliefs.”
“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,” he added.
He continued, “Those involved in the incident acted on their own, and did something wrong,” adding that the government was trying its best to punish the culprits in a way so as to make an example out of them in Pakistan.
Last week, a Sri Lankan national, working as a manager at a private factory on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot, was tortured to death by a mob over allegations of blasphemy.
It should be recalled that on Sunday, Khattak had said that “murders take place when emotions run high in young people.” “Everyone has a different mindset; a mob gathered and someone chanted a slogan related to Islam that led to such an incident,” Khattak had added.
The minister admitted that he can also make a mistake when overcome by emotions, but added that such instances did not mean “Pakistan is on the verge of catastrophe.”
He had also said there should be “no link between the Sialkot mob’s lynching of a Sri Lankan man and the government’s decision to relax the ban on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).”
A reporter then asked the minister if he was linking the alleged killings of nine police officers by TLP protesters, as well as Kumara’s, to “emotions”. Khattak immediately shifted the blame to the media, declaring, “Why don’t you change this mindset? Youngsters fight and murders take place at times. It is the job of the media to inform the youth.”
