The government will not tolerate violence in the name of religion, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Tuesday, warning those who commit such acts will not be spared by the authorities. The comment came days after the barbaric lynching of a Sri Lankan factory manager in Pakistan by an Islamist mob. 

On Tuesday, authorities organized a condolence meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad. During the event, Khan also praised Malik Adnan, a colleague who tried to save the life of the Sri Lankan national. The incident has brought embarrassment to the country, he said.

“I am certain our youth will remember the way Adnan stood up to those monsters,” he said.

The premier said the Holy Prophet  brought peace and justice to Arab society, adding that the first welfare state was established by the Holy Prophet.

“People are killing in the name of the Holy Prophet,” Khan was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune. Pakistan, he said, has now decided to "put an end to such incidents". He further added blasphemy accused rot in jails because lawyers and judges were scared to listen to the cases.

“Judges refuse to hear blasphemy cases, we know that. Then who will defend these accused,” he said.

Islamic clerics from different schools of thought also issued a joint statement on Tuesday condemning the incident. 

"It was an inhumane act, and to accuse someone of blasphemy without proof is not in accordance with the Shariah," Chairman Council of Islamic Ideology Qibla Ayaz was quoted as saying by Dawn. He also met the Sri Lankan High Commission to Pakistan Mohan Wijewickrema. 

"This tragedy caused anger worldwide as the mob brutally killed a man and later burned his body," he said, adding the incident against “the teaching of the Holy Quran, the Constitution as well” 

There was no place for extremism and violence in Islam, he said, urging scholars to play their due role in uprooting the menace.

(SAM)