COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: The body of a Sri Lankan factory manager who was tortured and set on fire by a mob in Pakistan for alleged blasphemy was buried in his native village with state honors on Wednesday.
Buddhist clergy performed religious rites at the home of Priyantha Kumara before police led a procession in which family and friends carried the casket with his charred remains to the cemetery.
The road was decorated with condolence banners and white flags symbolizing mourning.
Kumara was assaulted by a mob of hundreds of people and was dragged into the street and set on fire last Friday in Sialkot, Pakistan, where he helped run a sports equipment factory. Workers at the factory accused him of desecrating posters bearing the name of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
The victim’s brother, Arunasiri Wasantha Kumara Diyawadana, who also works as a technical director at a garment factory in Pakistan, said factories should have a secure environment.
“That was not happening in this particular case,” he said.
He called for an improvement in management practices so any dispute can be resolved before it is too late.
He said the two governments should determine “the actual root cause for this, either if it’s a religious matter or an industrial dispute, and accordingly they have to find a solution.”
In Pakistan, mere allegations of blasphemy can trigger mob attacks. The country’s blasphemy law carries a possible death penalty.
Pakistani police have arrested dozens of people in connection with the violence, and Prime Minister Imran Khan has promised severe punishment for those found guilty.
Sri Lankan man lynched in Pakistan laid to rest in native village with state honors
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Sri Lankan man lynched in Pakistan laid to rest in native village with state honors
- The road to the cemetery was decorated with condolence banners and white flags symbolizing mourning
- Priyantha Kumara’s brother, who also works at a garment factory in Pakistan, called for secure work environment
Pakistan PM orders plan to boost farm exports, cut trade deficit
- Shehbaz Sharif calls for institutional reforms to strengthen exports, warns against delaying tax refunds
- Pakistan has been striving for export-led economic growth while upgrading its ports and logistics systems
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday ordered officials to draw up a plan to increase agricultural exports and reduce the country’s trade deficit, highlighting the government’s push toward export-led growth as the economy shows signs of stabilization.
The directive comes amid Islamabad’s efforts to strengthen foreign exchange inflows, expand export destinations through economic diplomacy and shift growth away from consumption-led demand, following months of fiscal tightening and external financing pressures.
“Achieving export-based growth targets is our priority,” Sharif said while chairing a review meeting on export promotion, according to a statement from his office.
It added that the prime minister “directed authorities to draw up a plan to boost exports, especially agricultural exports, and cut the trade deficit.”
Sharif instructed authorities to fast-track institutional reforms aimed at improving facilitation for exporters and warned that any delays in processing tax refunds would be unacceptable.
He also directed officials to work with the Rice Exporters Association to develop a strategy to boost rice exports, with Islamabad holding talks with several countries on government-to-government agreements to expand overseas sales.
Officials briefed the meeting on plans to increase exports from high-value sectors such as engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and processed foods, while upgrading ports and logistics systems to ease trade bottlenecks and integrate Pakistan more deeply into global value chains.
