Won’t let incidents like Sialkot happen again: PM

Imran vows to go after those resorting to violence in the name of religion; showers praise on lynching tragedy hero

ISLAMABAD:

 

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday hit exactly the right notes when he warned that all those using Islam or Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) name for inflicting injustice upon others would not be spared as the nation has unequivocally condemned violence and decided that it would not let incidents like Sialkot happen again.

Addressing a condolence reference at the Prime Minister Office for Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara, who was lynched to death by a mob in Sialkot last week, the prime minister spoke against violence and extremism in the name of religion and all those falsely accusing others of committing blasphemy.

“I have decided that from now on, we will not spare those who resort to violence in the name of religion, especially in the name of the Holy Prophet (PBUH),” the premier said in the memorial ceremony held for Kumara, while simultaneously honouring one of his colleagues, Malik Adnan, who risked his life to save Kumara by standing alone against the mob.

“One moral man is an army,” the Prime Minister recalled a phrase to describe the bravery of Malik, who made strenuous efforts to save Kumara’s life by literally offering himself to the mob. “The moral courage is far superior than the physical power,” the premier said, adding that the nation would remember that one man stood against the animals to protect a human life even though he couldn’t save the victim.

Calling the mob attack on Kumara in Sialkot a “shameful incident”, the prime minister said that Malik showed valour and humanity and made the whole country proud in such desperate situation by trying his best to save the life of Priyantha Kumara. When the incident was reported, PM Imran said, it emerged that one man was standing tall against the beasts to save a human live.

Subsequently, the prime minister announced that he had decided that all those who would use religion or the name of Holy Prophet (PBUH) for inflicting injustice to anyone would not be spared. Reminding that the Prophet (PBUH) wasn’t just sent for the Muslims but for all human beings, the prime minister shared that only 1,400 people died in a decade when the Muslims had conquered the whole Arab world, adding that “the Holy Prophet (PBUH) had brought an intellectual revolution”.

The Prophet’s (PBUH) message was of love and unity, Imran said, adding that his message was based on humanity and justice as only those two things made humans different from animals, who believed that might is right. “Justice is served in the human societies,” he said, “in the animal world, it is the survival of the fittest.”

Only those who respected the moral values lifted up the downtrodden segments of societies, the PM said, adding that this was what the Prophet (PBUH) did; he took responsibility for the weaker segments of society.

Imran said that the people were killing others in the name of religion, lamenting that people easily accused others of blasphemy and the victim rotted in jail as neither any lawyer came to his defence nor the judges were ready to hear their cases.

“How can it happen in any society of the world; what kind of justice is this where the one accusing the other becomes the judge and the killer,” he questioned, regretting that people blindly accept the allegations of blasphemy. “Who would defend such people when the judges would not hear their cases,” he wondered.

Referring to the Army Public School incident in Peshawar, Imran said that the incident had united the nation and Pakistan won the war against terrorism, saying the nation was not standing against terrorism the way it started after the APS incident. “Entire Pakistan has decided after this [Sialkot] incident that they will not let such an incident to happen again,” the PM said.

Subsequently, he revealed that Sialkot’s business community conveyed to him that they had arranged $100,000 for the victim’s family and would make sure that the family got Kumara’s salary for the rest of their lives.

Revealing the reason behind establishing the Rehmatul Lil Alameen Authority, the PM said that the whole nation called itself the lover of the Prophet (PBUH) but instead of following in the footsteps of the holy Prophet (PBUH), the nation was going in the opposite direction. “No one would dare do any such thing [lynching] if he reads the Seerat of Holy Prophet,” the PM said.

He said that the Prophet (PBUH) was declared number one among the world greatest men, adding that it was time to introduce the youth to life and teachings of the Prophet (PBUH) and why Allah called him a beloved prophet.

Emphasising that there was a great need to study the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Imran shared an anecdote, where the Prophet (PBUH) did not speak with one of his companions just because he killed a man who recited Kalima, just before he was being killed in a war.

“Did you open his heart and see if he was telling the truth or a lie,” he quoted the Prophet (PBUH) as saying to the companion. Imran said that the message in it was that the man had not been given the authority to decide about another person’s faith.

Pakistan was the only country, which came into being in the name of Islam, he said, adding that it was high time to uplift the morality of the nation and unite them against extremism. He regretted that overseas Pakistanis were ashamed the most as they were not able to say anything to their fellow countrymen when people saw the Sialkot incident happening in Pakistan.

“Non-Muslims do not know much about Islam but when they see such things, they drift further away from Islam,” he regretted, saying that Pakistan faced embarrassment as well. Lauding Malik’s efforts, Imran said that his act restored nation’s trust in humanity seeing someone was willing to die just to save another person.

The Sialkot tragedy was highlighted in India in an effort to defame Pakistan, PM Imran said, adding that Indian media portrayed this incident as a routine occurrence in Pakistan, which was an unjust statement.

He vowed that he would not allow such incidents to happen again as long as he was alive.
Before concluding his speech, he once again paid tribute to Malik. He said that Malik would be honoured with Tamgha-e-Shujaat on March 23, 2022.