ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's top military forum on Wednesday discussed the mob lynching of a Sri Lankan national in the country's northeastern Sialkot city on blasphemy allegation, affirming a "zero tolerance" policy in such cases.
Priyantha Kumara worked as a manager at a garment factory in Pakistan's Punjab province where he was attacked and killed by a Muslim mob that publicly burned his body over what police said were accusations of desecrating religious posters.
The incident led to widespread soul searching in the country, with Prime Minister Imran Khan saying his administration would not spare anyone who resorted to violence in the name of religion, especially in the name of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH).
Reporting the proceedings of the recent corps commanders’ conference, the military's media wing, ISPR, said: "Taking note of the heinous lynching incident in Sialkot, [the] forum unequivocally affirmed zero tolerance for such elements so as to eradicate extremism and terrorism from the country."
Pakistan's top military brass also reviewed the global, regional and domestic security environment while expressing satisfaction at the defense arrangements along the country's frontiers.
Addressing the gathering, the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, also focused on Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis.
"Continuous support and timely international humanitarian assistance is imperative for not only peace and prosperity of Afghanistan but also for stability of the region at large," he maintained.
Expressing satisfaction over ongoing training activities in the army, Bajwa said objective evaluation of doctrine and training was necessary to evolve and meet emerging challenges in a technology driven future battlefield.
