All cultures are not equally civilized

Pakistan: Mob lynches Sri Lankan over alleged blasphemy

A Sri Lankan factory employee was beaten to death and set on fire by an angry mob in Pakistan's Sialkot. Police say the violence was triggered by allegations of blasphemy.

A crowd of people took part in an apparent lynching in northeast Pakistan on Friday, beating a Sri Lankan man to death and then burning his body, police said.

Pakistan daily Dawn said he worked as the export manager of a factory in the industrial city of Sialkot, where the killing took place.

"The factory workers tortured the manager," said provincial government spokesman Hassan Khawar, adding that 50 people have already been identified and arrested.

Videos and images from the scene circulated the social media, with some members of the mob taking selfies in front of the victim's body.

What triggered the lynching?

Sialkot police chief Armagan Gondal said the violence broke out after factory workers claimed the man was desecrating posters bearing the name of Prophet Muhammad. Separately, police officer Anwar Ghumman told DW the victim was accused of "desecrating Islamic stickers."

But other police representatives stopped short of confirming this account and said investigators were still gathering information about the cause of the incident. Police deployed a large contingent of forces to reestablish control over the area.

How have officials reacted?

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was overseeing the inquiry into the killing and that all involved "will be punished with full severity of the law."