PM Imran condemns 'horrific' killing of Sri Lankan manager in Sialkot

Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned on Friday the “horrific vigilante attack” on the factory manager and the burning alive of the Sri Lankan man, calling it a “day of shame for Pakistan.

“I am overseeing the investigations and, let there be no mistake, all those responsible will be punished with the full severity of the law. Arrests are in progress,” he said in a Twitter post.

The incident took place on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot, where the workers of private entities attacked the export manager of a factory and burnt his body after murdering him.

The attackers had accused the Sri Lankan factory manager of blasphemy.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement said that the "cold-blooded murder” by the mob in Sialkot was "condemnable and shameful".

"Such extra-judicial vigilantism cannot be condoned at any cost," the ISPR said.

The statement added that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has directed “all-out support to civil administration to arrest perpetrators of this heinous crime and bring them to justice.”

Talking to reporters after the incident alongside Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister on Information Hassan Khawar and Punjab IG Rao Sardar Ali Khan, Special Representative for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi condemned the killing of Sri Lankan man.

Ashrafi said that all the culprits will be punished for the "cruelty".

Meanwhile, the Punjab police have said that around 100 people, including one of the main perpetrators, had been arrested, adding that the Punjab IG was overseeing the matter.