Rights group raises alarm over 'lynching' of Sri Lankan national in Pakistan over blasphemy

A London-based rights group on Friday expressed concern over the "disturbing" lynching and killing of a Sri Lankan factory manager in Sialkot, allegedly due to a blasphemy accusation.

"Amnesty International is deeply alarmed by the disturbing lynching and killing of a Sri Lankan factory manager in Sialkot, allegedly due to a blasphemy accusation," the rights group said on Twitter.

Pakistan authorities must immediately conduct an independent, impartial and prompt investigation and hold the perpetrators accountable, the group said. "Today's event underscores the urgency with which an environment that enables abuse and puts lives at risk must be rectified," it added.

Soon after the case was reported, a large contingent of police was sent to the city of Sialkot to bring the situation under control.

Reportedly, the workers of private factories attacked the export manager of a factory and burnt his body after killing him, Dawn newspaper reported.

Several videos doing rounds on the internet showed scores of men gathered at the site. People can be heard chanting slogans of "Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah" in some of the videos.

Police said the victim has been identified as a Sri Lankan national. They added that other details would be shared with the media after the initial probe.

This comes as the increasing cases of blasphemy in Pakistan continue to be a cause of concern for rights activists.

Pakistan has registered thousands of blasphemy cases, which are mostly against religious minorities like Hindus, Christians, Shia and Ahmadiya Muslims from 1987 till today, according to several reports by rights groups.

( With inputs from ANI )

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