ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan court Monday sentenced six men to death and dozens more to jail terms ranging from two years to life for the brutal mob slaying of a Sri Lankan factory manager accused of blasphemy.
The vigilante attack in Sialkot last December caused outrage, with then prime minister Imran Khan calling it a “day of shame for Pakistan.”
Few issues are as galvanizing in Pakistan as blasphemy, and even the slightest suggestion of an insult to Islam can supercharge protests and incite lynchings.
On Monday, prosecutors said 88 of 89 people on trial for the murder of Priyantha Kumara had been convicted, with six sentenced to death, nine to life in prison and the rest to jail terms ranging from two to five years.
“The prosecution team worked very hard to present its case to the court and to reach this judgment,” Abdul Rauf Wattoo, the lead public prosecutor, told AFP.
“We are satisfied with the outcome.”
The trial was overseen by a special anti-terrorism court, established to speed up justice in high-profile cases that can otherwise spend years being processed.
At the time of the killing, local police officials told AFP that rumors spread that Kumara had torn down a religious poster and thrown it in the dustbin.
Several gruesome video clips shared on social media showed a mob beating the prone victim while chanting slogans against blasphemy.
Other clips showed his body being set ablaze.
Many in the mob made no attempt to hide their identity and some took selfies in front of the burning corpse.
Hafiz Israr ul Haq, lawyer for one of the men sentenced to death, called the verdict “unfair.”
“This was a case of mob violence and in such cases no individual’s role can be ascertained with certainty,” he told AFP.
Rights groups say accusations of blasphemy can often be wielded to settle personal vendettas, with minorities largely the target.
In April 2017, an angry mob lynched university student Mashal Khan when he was accused of posting blasphemous content online.
A Christian couple was lynched and their remains burnt in a kiln in Punjab in 2014 after being falsely accused of desecrating the Holy Qur’an.
Pakistan court sentences six men to death for Sri Lankan national’s lynching
https://arab.news/g48dc
Pakistan court sentences six men to death for Sri Lankan national’s lynching
- Priyantha Kumara was lynched by dozens of people who later set his body ablaze
- The incident had created a tough diplomatic situation for Pakistan last year
Pakistan disburses record $9.2 billion agricultural loans in FY25, central bank says
- State Bank says farm lending rose 16 percent year-on-year to Rs2.58 trillion
- Inflation eased to 5.8 percent in January as GDP growth hits 3.7 percent in Q1 FY26
KARACHI: Pakistan disbursed a record Rs2.58 trillion ($9.2 billion) in agricultural loans during fiscal year 2024–25, a 16 percent increase from the previous year, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad said on Thursday while chairing a meeting of the Agricultural Credit Advisory Committee (ACAC).
Agricultural financing is considered critical to Pakistan’s rural economy, where farming contributes nearly one-fifth of GDP and employs a large share of the workforce. The government has repeatedly emphasized expanding credit access to small farmers as part of broader efforts to boost productivity, stabilize food supply and support economic recovery under an IMF-backed reform program.
According to official data shared at the meeting, agricultural credit disbursement reached Rs2.58 trillion in FY25, marking a record high. In the first half of FY26 alone, banks disbursed Rs1,412 billion in agricultural loans, while the number of borrowers increased to 2.97 million.
“During fiscal year 2025, record agricultural loans of Rs2.58 trillion were disbursed, reflecting an annual growth of 16 percent,” the State Bank governor said, according to a statement issued after the meeting.
He added that Pakistan had regained macroeconomic stability and that the economy was moving toward sustainable growth.
The governor said GDP growth in the first quarter of FY26 stood at 3.7 percent, while full-year growth was projected between 3.75 percent and 4.75 percent.
He also noted that headline inflation had declined to 5.8 percent in January 2026.
The committee reviewed measures to further expand credit access, including greater use of the central bank’s Zarkhez-e scheme to facilitate agricultural lending. Members also discussed promoting electronic warehouse receipt financing to enhance post-harvest liquidity and reduce distress sales of crops.
The statement said the purpose of electronic warehouse receipt financing was to “reduce forced sales of crops and strengthen linkages within the agricultural market.”
Agricultural lending has been a focus of Pakistan’s financial inclusion strategy, particularly as policymakers seek to improve rural incomes, stabilize food prices and strengthen export-oriented crop production amid broader economic reforms.
