Sialkot District Police Officer Umar Saeed Malik identified the man as Priyantha Kumara
Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the "horrific, vigilante attack" on the factory and the burning alive of the Sri Lankan man "was 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
Speaking to the media hours 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 lynching on "behalf of all ulemas" and said that it had "defaced Islam"
Ashrafi said that the country had laws when it comes to Namoos-i-Risalat (the sanctity of the Prophet). He said that those responsible for the incident had not served the country or Islam and had gone against the religion
"The elements involved in the incident have tried to damage Islamic laws and teachings," he said, adding that the culprits will be punished for the "barbarism"
Offering his condolences to the victim's family, Ashrafi said that the country's religious scholars will hold a joint press conference at a later date. "We will also go to the Sri Lankan embassy for condolences."
He added that so far 50 people have been arrested and officials were working on identifying more culprits using CCTV footage. He said that an FIR of the incident will be registered under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act
The Punjab IG said that police first received information of the incident at 11:26 am and officials reached the scene at 11:46 am. "We are probing the facts and also looking at the police response, whether there was any sort of delay," he said, adding that the incident was "sensitive and unfortunate"
Khawar said that officials were working on obtaining CCTV footage so that the culprits could be identified. He said that the regional police officer and the Gujranwala commissioner were at the site of the incident, adding that the IG had ordered officials to submit a report within 48 hours
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said that it expected Pakistani authorities to "take the required action to investigate and ensure justice"
A report carried by Sri Lankan media organization News 1st quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Sugeeshwara Gunaratna as saying that the Sri Lankan High Commission in Islamabad was in the process of verifying details of the incident from Pakistani authorities
Hundreds attack factory manager
The incident took place on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot, where the workers of private factories attacked the export manager of a factory — who was a resident of the city — and burnt his body after killing him
Videos shared on social media showed hundreds of men and young boys gathered at the site, with groups of them chanting slogans
Most of the people surrounding the burning corpse, based on the footage seen by Dawn.com, were seen recording it
Armagan Gondal, the Sialkot police chief, told the Associated Press that the factory workers had accused the victim of desecrating posters bearing the name of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)
The manager was lynched by the mob inside the factory, Gondal said, citing initial information. DPO Malik said the victim's remains were sent to a hospital for an autopsy
Gujranwala RPO Imran Ahmar told reporters that police were carrying out an "in-depth" investigation into the incident, and that details would be shared after collecting complete evidence
"Action will be taken as per the law against the individuals involved in the incident," he said, adding that it would be premature to comment on the motive before the investigation
In a statement issued later in the day, Sialkot police said that officials had begun investigating the lynching
The statement said that a case had been registered against unidentified people under sections 431 (mischief by injury to public road, bridge, river, or channel), 427 (mischief causing damage amounting to Rs50), 149 (unlawful assembly of people), 147 (rioting), 297 (trespassing of burial places), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of the offense, or giving false information to screen offender), 302 (intentional murder) and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act
The statement said that 10 teams had been constituted under the Sialkot district police officer that would work on identifying the culprits through CCTV footage and would also conduct raids to arrest them
Politicians, citizens condemn 'horrific' lynching
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar in a tweet said he was "extremely shocked" at the "horrific Sialkot incident"
"I have instructed IG Police to thoroughly investigate it. No one is allowed to take [the] law in their hands. Rest assured, individuals involved in this inhumane act will not be spared!!" he wrote
Buzdar earlier summoned a report from the inspector general of police and ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter
"Every aspect of the incident should be investigated, and a report should be submitted. Action should be taken against those who take the law into their own hands," the chief minister said
Well-known cleric Maulana Tariq Jameel said that taking the law into one's own hands on the basis of a mere accusation was against the teachings of Islam, "There is no room for violence and extremism in Islam," he said, calling on religious scholars to play a positive role in preventing extremism in the country
Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari called the murder "horrific and condemnable"
"Mob violence cannot be accepted under any circumstance as the state has laws to deal with all offenses. Punjab government's action must and will be firm and unambiguous," she tweeted
Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Sardar Ali Khan also took notice of the incident and directed the Gujranwala regional police officer to reach the location immediately
"The Sialkot DPO is present on the spot. All aspects of the incident should be investigated," the IGP said
Social media users expressed shock over the gruesomeness of the murder and called the government's attention to the deplorable law and order situation in the country
Human rights organizations also took notice of the incident
Amnesty International said it was "deeply alarmed by the disturbing lynching and killing of a Sri Lankan factory manager in Sialkot, allegedly due to a blasphemy accusation"
A similar incident in Sialkot in 2010 had shaken the country when a mob had lynched two brothers in the presence of police, declaring them dacoits. The incident sparked shock and horror across the country as cellphone footage of the heinous murders was uploaded to video-sharing sites
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