Sialkot lynching: Widow receives salary, $100,000 donation

Factory owners to send salary to widow for the next 10 years

SIALKOT:

The business community has raised and made a donation of $100,000 to the widow and the family of a Sri Lankan man who was lynched by a mob in Sialkot.

The members of the business community, many of whom are friends and colleagues of the deceased Sri Lankan man, raised the amount to lend a helping hand to the widow who had pleaded for justice.

Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced that the business community in Sialkot has raised $100,000 for the family of Priyantha Kumara, while they will continue to send his salary to his widow each month.

The Sri Lankan national who had been working as a manager at Rajco Industries in Sialkot, was tortured to death and his body set on fire by a mob of workers over allegations of "blasphemy" in December last year.

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The amount has been deposited into the widow's account. In addition, the owners of the factory where the deceased worked as a manager have also transferred a salary of $1,167 to the widow's account.

The salary will be paid to the widow every month without disruption for the next 10 years.

Priyantha's wife had earlier pleaded for justice for her slain husband from both Pakistani and Sri Lankan leaders.

“I got to know about the brutal murder of my husband from the news. Later I saw this on the internet as well. He was a very innocent man,” she said, talking to reporters from BBC Sinhala.

“I request leaders of Sri Lanka and Pakistan to do justice for my husband and two children, by bringing the perpetrators to justice” she went on to say.