COLOMBO: The mortal remains of Diyawadanage Don Priyantha Kumara, the Sri Lankan manager of a local factory in Sialkot, arrived here at the Bandaranaike International Airport.
Pakistan’s Acting High Commissioner Mr Tanvir Ahmed Bhatti, Press Secretary Kalsoom Qaisar and others received the casket and conveyed the sympathies of the people & government of Pakistan to the relatives of the deceased present at the airport..
Representatives from all walks of life visited the Pakistan High Commission including members of the Sri Lankan Parliament, Coordinators for the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for all religions including Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism & Islam.
All of them expressed their satisfaction over the quick action of the Pakistan Government in apprehension of the perpetrators of the Sialkot tragedy. They also appreciated the fact that the Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan has personally headed the whole situation and taken personal interest in bringing the culprits to justice.
They shared the feelings of sorrow and grief for the family of the victims and thanked the Acting High Commissioner Mr Tanvir Ahmad for prompt response to all contacting the Pakistan High Commission for information or recording their sentiments.
Earlier, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Imran Khan said that the perpetrators have no mercy from God and they will not be given any pardon by the law as well. Every Pakistani equally shares the grief of heirs of deceased. Every aspect of this tragic and reprehensible incident, that happened in Sialkot, is being investigated and a high-level inquiry is being conducted on the special instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The main culprits and the abettors have already been arrested. This abominable incident has brought shame on the whole country.
Therefore, the murderers will not be spared. The main objective of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s initiatives like establishment of Rehmatul-lil-aalemeen Authority is to spread the true spirit of Islam and its teachings in the society so that such anti-Islamic incidents could be avoided in future.
Kumara’s body was brought to Allama Iqbal International Airport in an ambulance where Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs Ejaz Alam Augustine received it and dispatched it through a Sri Lankan Airlines flight with state honours.
Officials present on the occasion included Adviser to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony Tahir Ashrafi, Honorary Consul General of Sri Lanka Yasin Joya and representatives of the Punjab Home Department and Sri Lanka High Commission.
Lankan High Commission has also sought an investigation report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) concerning the incident.
Speaking to reporters at the airport, Ashrafi said the whole nation would have to unite to eradicate the menace of extremism the way it had eliminated terrorism from the country.
“Today is a day of grief but we promise that the killers of Priyantha Kumara will be brought to justice,” he said.
Meanwhile, a makeshift memorial was erected outside the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce to honour the slain man.
Umair Amin, a member of the body, said: “Sri Lanka is our friend and we share its pain in this sad incident.”
A candlelight vigil was also conducted near the unit where Kumara worked.
SEVEN MORE ARRESTED
Meanwhile, the Punjab police arrested seven more of the prime suspects, taking the tally to 131.
The police said of the total arrested, 26 played a “central role” in the grisly murder of Kumara.
Over the weekend, the police have arrested dozens on charges of inciting and forming the mob. It arrested seven more Monday, an update shared on the Twitter account of Punjab police said.
They were traced using camera footage and mobile phone data, the police said. “The suspects were hiding at the homes of their friends and relatives,” the tweet added.
Late Friday, a first information report (FIR) was registered against 900 workers of Rajco Industries – the business Kumara was manager of – on the application of Uggoki Station House Officer (SHO) Armaghan Maqt under sections 302, 297, 201, 427, 431, 157, 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and 7 and 11-WW of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
Pakistani nation has been radicalized by the mullahs. Mullahs needs a software upgrade otherwise it will never stop.