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The human remains of Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara, who was lynched by a mob in Sialkot last week, were repatriated to Sri Lanka. The brutal, condemnable and disgusting crime by a mob at a garment factory is a blot on the conscience of humanity.
Not only has the incident brought international disrepute to Pakistan, due to the foreign nationality of the victim, but this fervour of extremism and vigilantism is a grave threat to the country’s security and future. The Sialkot tragedy has once again proved the misuse of the blasphemy law. According to reports so far, the Sri Lankan national was killed on the basis of personal resentment.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to stop an “angry” mob in such cases. However, the main reason for extremism in the name of religion in Pakistan is lack of implementation of law. Previously, the accused of blasphemy have been released on the basis of lack of evidence and false cases. However, it is a pity that the accusers are not brought to justice.
A disturbing fact in the Sialkot tragedy was that the mob was chanting a specific religious slogan which apparently belongs to a religious-political party. Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry rightly said that we have planted time bombs in the society which will continue to explode, if not diffuse timely.
The rule of law in Pakistan is the biggest obstacle at the moment as the problems are increasing due to the decisions made by the mob in the presence of law. According to constitutional experts, the tragic events like the Sialkot tragedy have far-reaching consequences for human rights and the rights of minorities under international law.
Pakistan is currently on the FATF’s gray list and the enemies are trying their best to blacklist us. However, in such a situation, we are creating problems for ourselves by giving opportunity to selflessness. Pakistan has been included in the list of countries of religious concern and we are sinking deeper into this quagmire instead of eliminating the problems.
Moreover, this saga should not just end with arrests and convictions. This, the extremism that has seeped through which has made some indulge in mob torture is a much bigger dragon to slay. All political parties have appeased and fanned the flames of divisive groups.
The state must carry out punishments at all costs to curb this menace of religious extremism. In addition to punishing those responsible, more concrete measures will need to be taken to address the root causes. This will require political will and will be a real test of whether we are serious about addressing this issue.
