(December 06, 2021)
Chairman of National Business Group Pakistan, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum, and All Karachi Industrial Alliance, and former provincial minister Mian Zahid Hussain on Monday said the senseless lynching of a Sri Lankan factory manager in Sialkot is condemnable.
The response of the government is timely and correct and the accused and those who provoked them should be punished so that no one dares to take the law into their hands again, he said.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that a Sri Lankan Export Manager Priyantha Kumara, who was working for a local factory was tortured to death and his body set on fire by a mob over allegations of blasphemy which is the height of ignorance.
Talking to the business community, the veteran business leader said that our enemies are rejoicing over this incident and Pakistan had to face embarrassment due to the senselessness of a group of workers.
It is difficult to estimate the repercussions of such a tragic event as cold-blooded murder will have far-reaching consequences and many foreign companies may turn to other countries instead of Pakistan while foreign experts will also think twice before coming to Pakistan, he feared.
According to some industrialists, Sialkot’s role in the national economy was growing rapidly and it was beating the industry of rival countries like India and Bangladesh in the international market, he added.
The business leader said that many known multinational companies had canceled contracts with Indian companies and entered into agreements with Pakistani companies based in Sialkot.
The popularity of Sialkot companies have distressed rivals and they desired a problem that could affect Pakistan’s second most important city in terms of exports.
The enemies of Pakistan keep Karachi destabilized for decades damaging the national economy and now that the law and order situation in Karachi has improved due to the efforts of Rangers and police providing a break to masses and investors.
As Karachi was returning to normalcy, the lynching in Sialkot resulted in embarrassment at international level hitting efforts to boost exports, he said.
He called for action to tackle serious issues surfacing in other important cities which must be controlled.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that arrangements should be made for the safety of all foreigners working in Pakistani factories and mob violence should be discouraged with full force of law.
