27 years ago, Sajjad Farooq was murdered by this barbaric mob in Gujranwala, an industrial city in Pakistan. This storyline may seem familiar. Last week, in Sialkot, Pakistan, Priyantha Kumara was also dragged outside, pelted with stones and set ablaze. Both men were accused of blasphemy. Neither was charged or investigated for any crime. They were just brutally lynched.
According to current news accounts, Priyantha Kumara was a Sri Lankan national who had worked in Pakistan for the last 11 years. He resided in Sialkot, an industrial town famous for factories producing sporting equipment. He worked as a manager at one such factory.
On the fateful day, Kumara was reported to have been removing stickers from the factory walls with religious script on them in anticipation of a foreign delegation visiting the premises. Initial news reports said that Kumara wanted to showcase a clean working environment and asked all stickers and posters to be removed from the walls and machinery. The alleged removal caught the attention of the workers, who mercilessly broke every bone in his body and torched him.
The incident sparked widespread anger across Pakistan. Vigils were held in multiple cities as social media was ablaze, condemning the inhumane act. Prime Minister Imran Khan said it was a day of shame for Pakistan. The chief of Pakistan’s military called for justice and said the country had zero tolerance toward extremism.
This repetition of horror must force the hand of those in power to find a new perspective
While the government, both then and now, condemned these actions, little has ever been done to bring lynchers to justice. Historically, the police have been uninterested to pursue investigations, while the judiciary is not strong enough to hold perpetrators accountable.
Hence, cases are either dropped due to lack of evidence or quashed all together by appellate courts. Although a mob killed Sajjad Farooq, only four people were investigated after his family stubbornly followed the case. After many excruciating years, blood money was paid to Farooq’s family - allowing the killers to escape harsh judicial sentences.
These extrajudicial killings have robbed many of their loved ones. The mother of Priyantha Kumara wept over the draped coffin of her son in Colombo. His siblings told their mother that Kumara died in an accident, fearing the frail 80-year-old matriarch might not be able to handle the truth. Monsters desecrated his body to such an extent that an open casket was not possible during his funeral services.
Another human life has been lost at the hands of barbarians, and the question to ask is how many more have to be sacrificed before the state enforces its writ. Despite the uproar that often comes on the heels of such heinous acts, there have been more than 80 brutal extrajudicial killings over blasphemy-related claims since 1990, and with last week’s incident, there seems to be no end in sight.
Politicians and the military establishment are reluctant in addressing this issue out of fear of retribution from the religious right in Pakistan. Religious vigilantes are seen as having significant street power and voter clout, which political parties would rather cash in on during elections rather than holding them accountable.
Just three weeks ago, following 10 days of violent protests, the Pakistan government capitulated and signed a peace agreement with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a far-right religious organisation that calls for all perceived blasphemers against Islam to be put to death. During the demonstrations, as they protested for the release of their leader who had been under arrest since April, TLP vigilantes killed seven policemen. The government surrendered, released the TLP’s hardliner chief, refused to divulge any details of the agreement and charged no one in the killings of the police.
Pakistan is attempting to step out of the shadows of terrorism which has plagued the country for more than two decades. However, Imran Khan must realise that if barbaric mobs have the ability to act with such impunity - where more people are busy recording the burning body of Kumara with their smartphones rather than trying to save his life - Pakistan will continue down a path of isolation and condemnation by the international community, hampering the economic growth it so desperately needs.
Politicians and the military establishment are reluctant in addressing this issue out of fear of retribution from the religious right in Pakistan
I was in first grade when Sajjad Farooq was lynched by a mob. That year, Nelson Mandela became the first president of South Africa and Benazir Bhutto was the prime minister of Pakistan for the second and final time. Despite decades passing, the story line is the same, nothing has changed.
Pakistan is at a critical juncture. The government can no longer bury its head in the sand when such brutal extrajudicial killings occur more than twice per year. These mobs are relentless. They have murdered Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and now foreigners as well.
We must work to safeguard the life of every human being. No one deserves to be torched to death. This repetition of horror must force the hand of those in power to find a new perspective and a permanent solution to ensure that such evil acts never occur again. This heinous crime should never see the light of day again. The state must be the sole authority that is permitted the legitimate use of physical force – and when this force is used by citizens, a state pivots toward anarchy.
The police need to investigate and arrest, courts need to prosecute, religious clergy must preach peace and harmony, hate speech must be condemned and the government needs to establish its writ.