Lynching of Sri Lankan national points to rise of religion-based hatred violence in Pakistan: Report

The lynching of Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara in Pakistan over blasphemy allegations by a hardline mob has signalled the rise of religion-based hatred violence in the country, according to a report.

Priyantha was burnt alive after being severely beaten by angry supporters of a hardline Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in Sialkot, said a report by the International Forum For Right And Security (IFFRAS).

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. Thereafter hundreds of men, enraged over the "blasphemy" incident, started gathering outside the factory from adjoining areas. Most of them were activists and supporters of the TLP. The mob dragged the suspect (the Sri Lankan national) from the factory and severely tortured him, and later burning him. Several videos were circulated on social media showing hundreds of men gathered at the site surrounding the body of the Sri Lankan national. They were chanting slogans of the TLP, said IFFRAS.

Further, the report stated that the TLP has been exploiting Islam, spreading religious hatred, and using some sensitive socio-religious issues such as blasphemy law and the matter of the finality of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for their political gains.

TLP, which has been recently removed from the outlawed group by the Imran Khan government, has massively spread the violent political narratives at the street level mainly in Punjab province which was previously less so by the other schools of thought. The hardline party does not have any background of community service and charities.

The report said that the TLP market only their firebrand style of retributive justice for those who were killed in the name of religion. TLP has propagated religious hatred content against both Muslim and non-Muslim communities on social media. It has spread content based on religious bigotry in digital space.

The rise of TLP shows that their followers are now using violent tactics as other hardliner religious groups follow. The way TLP does politics on a sensitive issue like blasphemy law, one can't even imagine how dangerous it can turn out to be, according to IFFRAS.

( With inputs from ANI )

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