Religious scholars from various schools of thought have announced a “day of denunciation” on December 10 (Friday) in Sialkot against the brutal killing of Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara while condemning the act as un-islamic and inhumane.

Quoting a joint statement issued by the religious scholars, a BBC report said that the Ulema agreed the whole incident was against “Quran and Sunnah, the Constitution of the country and laws against crimes.”

The statement also lauded the courage of Malik Adnan, the man who tried to save the life of the Sri Lankan national, calling him a ray of hope while stating that his actions were worth following.

Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairperson Qibla Ayaz said: “An innocent man was murdered and an illegal act was committed after accusing him of blasphemy.”

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Religious Harmony Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, while talking to the media along with religious scholars, requested the chief justice of Pakistan to conduct a “speedy trial” of the incident.

Mufti Taqi Usmani, another Islamic scholar and jurist, said that the incident was condemned by every social class of the country, while imploring the federal government to compensate the affected family.

Earlier on Tuesday, a delegation of the scholars visited the Sri Lankan High Commission to offer condolences to the country’s High Commissioner Vice Admiral (retd) Mohan Wijewickrama.

Talking to media, Wijewickrama said the two countries have enjoyed friendly relations and come to the other's aid in times of need. He added that the unfortunate incident would not affect bilateral ties between Islamabad and Colombo.