ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has said all key suspects involved in the lynching of a Sri Lankan man in Sialkot last week over alleged blasphemy had been arrested while clerics from the All Pakistan Ulema Council with representation from all sects said Friday would be observed as a “day of condemnation” against the killing.
Priyantha Kumara, who worked as a manager at a garment factory in the city of Sialkot, was attacked and killed by a Muslim mob last Friday. The crowd also publicly burned his body over what police have said are accusations he desecrated religious posters.
Blasphemy is considered a deeply sensitive issue in Pakistan and carries the death penalty. International and domestic rights groups say accusations of blasphemy have often been used to intimidate religious minorities and settle personal scores.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Qari Hafeez Jalandhari, general secretary of the Wafaq-ul-Madaris, requested all religious scholars to reiterate the “true teaching” of Islam during the Friday sermon at mosques and imam bargahs across the country as part of the “day of condemnation.”
“We want clerics to remind people that Islam is the religion of peace and love,” he said. “We want them to remind people of the rights of minorities.”
On Tuesday, while addressing a memorial service for Kumara, Prime Minister Imran Khan said: “The government will not spare anyone who tries to use religion, particularly the name of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), to sommit violence. Such instances will not be allowed to take place on my watch.”
The prime minister also presented a certificate of appreciation to Malik Adnan, an employee in Sialkot who tried to shield Kumara from the mob.
“One moral man is an army,” Khan said as he praised Adnan for his bravery and called him an inspiration for Pakistani youth.
Adnan said he was dedicating the award to Kumara and the people of Sri Lanka.
“Today I am very proud and my message to the nation is that whenever you encounter such a situation, always stand with the oppressed,” Adnan said, adding that this was the lesson he had been taught by his parents and teachers.
Meeting with religious leaders on Tuesday, the high commissioner to Pakistan from Sri Lanka said his government was “very satisfied” with the steps taken by the government of Pakistan since the incident, which he added would not affect relations between the two countries.
Pakistan says key suspects in Sialkot lynching arrested, Friday announced as ‘day of condemnation’
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Pakistan says key suspects in Sialkot lynching arrested, Friday announced as ‘day of condemnation’
- Priyantha Kumara, a factory manager in city of Sialkot, was attacked and killed by a Muslim mob last Friday
- Ulema Counsil requests scholars to reiterate teaching of Islam during Friday sermons at mosques and imam bargahs
Pakistan PM orders accelerated privatization of power sector to tackle losses
- Tenders to be issued for privatization of three major electricity distribution firms, PMO says
- Sharif says Pakistan to develop battery energy storage through public-private partnerships
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister on Monday directed the government to speed up privatization of state-owned power companies and improve electricity infrastructure nationwide, as authorities try to address deep-rooted losses and inefficiencies in the energy sector that have weighed on the economy and public finances.
Pakistan’s electricity system has long struggled with financial distress caused by a combination of factors including theft of power, inefficient collection of bills, high costs of generating electricity and a large burden of unpaid obligations known as “circular debt.” In the first quarter of the current financial year, government-owned distribution companies recorded losses of about Rs171 billion ($611 million) due to poor bill recovery and operational inefficiencies, official documents show. Circular debt in the broader power sector stood at around Rs1.66 trillion ($5.9 billion) in mid-2025, a sharp decline from past peaks but still a major fiscal drain.
Efforts to contain these losses have been a focus of Pakistan’s economic reform program with the International Monetary Fund, which has urged structural changes in the energy sector as part of financing conditions. Previous government initiatives have included signing a $4.5 billion financing facility with local banks to ease power sector debt and reducing retail electricity tariffs to support economic recovery.
“Electricity sector privatization and market-based competition is the sustainable solution to the country’s energy problems,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said at a meeting reviewing the roadmap for power sector reforms, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.
The meeting reviewed progress on privatization and infrastructure projects. Officials said tenders for modernizing one of Pakistan’s oldest operational hubs, Rohri Railway Station, will be issued soon and that the Ghazi Barotha to Faisalabad transmission line, designed to improve long-distance transmission of electricity, is in the initial approval stages. While not all power-sector decisions were detailed publicly, the government emphasized expanding private sector participation and completing priority projects to strengthen the electricity grid.
In another key development, the prime minister endorsed plans to begin work on a battery energy storage system with participation from private investors to help manage fluctuations in supply and demand, particularly as renewable energy sources such as solar and wind take a growing role in generation. Officials said the concept clearance for the storage system has been approved and feasibility studies are underway.
Government briefing documents also outlined steps toward shifting some electricity plants from imported coal to locally mined Thar coal, where a railway line expansion is underway to support transport of fuel, potentially lowering costs and import dependence in the long term.
State authorities also pledged to address safety by converting unmanned railway crossings to staffed ones and to strengthen food safety inspections at stations, underscoring broader infrastructure and service improvements connected to energy and transport priorities.
