BBC News
"We are all here on the instructions of the Prime Minister and his coffin is being sent wrapped in a shroud, but if any other honors are to be announced, the Prime Minister himself will do so."
This was stated by the Special Representative of the Prime Minister for Religious Harmony Maulana Tahir Ashrafi who was present at Lahore Airport on the occasion of sending the body of a Sri Lankan citizen who was killed by an angry mob to Sri Lanka for blasphemy.
When Priya Natha Diaudhana's body was sent back to Lahore Airport, her coffin was wrapped in a white sheet and yellow and white flowers were placed on it.
It may be recalled that Sri Lankan citizen Priya Natha Dewadhana was working as a manager in a factory in Sialkot and her body was set on fire on December 3 after she was tortured to death by an angry mob on charges of blasphemy.
A picture of the coffin of Sri Lankan citizen Priya Natha Diaudhana went viral on social media last night. The photo shows a wooden coffin placed on the ground with the inscription "Human remains of Sri Lankan citizen Priya Natha Dewadhana".
Talking about the photo that went viral on social media, Tahir Ashrafi said, "It is being propagandized that we have sent him in such a coffin. There is no such thing. This picture was taken while his coffin was being wrapped in a shroud at the airport.
Photo of the coffin shared on social media
The image of his coffin was raised by social media users, who questioned whether Pakistan would deport a Sri Lankan citizen to his country in this manner after the heinous murder.
However, many people said that after this horrific incident, Priyantha should be released with the least respect and official honors so that we can tell her family that we as a nation are ashamed.
How was the body of a Sri Lankan citizen sent back?
The BBC is trying to find out what happened to the image of the coffin that went viral on social media and how the body of the slain Sri Lankan citizen was sent back to their country.
Talking to BBC about this, a senior Punjab government official said that the postmortem of the Sri Lankan citizen was done in Sialkot itself after which the remains of his body were placed in a coffin and kept in the morgue.
He said that the name was written on the cold storage to identify the deceased.
He said that the coffin seen in the picture was brought to Lahore Airport on Sunday night and this picture was probably taken by the airport staff there. He further added that the coffin of the Sri Lankan citizen has not been changed while it has been wrapped in a white shroud.
We intended to send it wrapped in a Sri Lankan flag, but the Sri Lankan embassy told us that this was not the case with us, so you should wrap it in a white sheet," he said.
We also asked for permission from the embassy to pay homage to the deceased if we can put rose petals on the coffin," he said. It was said that don't put red roses because they are used in our weddings, you can put yellow flowers. After which we have done everything in the same way.
He further said that the coffin of the body of a Sri Lankan citizen would be sent by cargo on a flight from Sri Lanka which would take off from Pakistan on Monday at 12.30 pm.
Talking to BBC, Tahir Ashrafi, Special Representative of the Prime Minister for Religious Harmony, said that he was present at the airport and was accompanied by Minister for Minority Affairs Ejaz Masih.
He said that Interior Ministry officials and diplomats have also come here to pay their respects to the body of Sri Lankan citizen Priya Natha Diaudhana.
"The staff of the Sri Lankan embassy is with me and they have told us that this is a very sad incident and the way the people and government of Pakistan have expressed their grief and anger," he said. He is a source of consolation to us and we hope that Prime Minister Imran Khan will take stern action against those involved in this incident as promised.
Tahir Ashrafi added that the Pakistani embassy in Sri Lanka is also in touch with the family of Priya Natha Diaudhana.
Reaction on social media
Sharing a photo of the coffin of Sri Lankan citizen Priya Natha Diaudhana, user Tahir Imran wrote that it is the funeral of 70 years of state policies.
While Nadrat Khawaja wrote that next time I see a paid blogger praising Pakistan's hospitality and tourism, I will share this picture in response.
Next time I see a paid travel vlogger glorifying Pakistan’s hospitality and tourism potential, this is the picture I am going to post in reply. https://t.co/by5KrmetcD
— Nudrrat Khawaja (@NudrratKhawaja) December 5, 2021
Journalist and anchor Ajmal Jami shared the photo and wrote, "How will they receive it ... We apologize for the inconvenience.
Journalist and anchorperson Gharida Farooqi wrote, “It would be a shame if Pakistan was handing over Priyantha Kumara's body to her family in this way. They could not save the life of this poor man, they snatched the death of honor, now at least they could send the deceased away with respect. Let some of humanity remain of this earth.
شرمناک ہو گا اگر پاکستان اس طرح سے پریانتھا کمارا کی بچی کھچی میت کو اس کی فیملی کے حوالے کر رہا ہے۔ اس بےچارے کی جان کی حفاظت نہیں کر سکے، عزت کی موت چھین لی، اب کم از کم میت کو تو احترام سے روانہ کر سکیں۔ کچھ تو انسانیت باقی رہنے دیں اس دھرتی کی۔ https://t.co/mIIKlaQrZ3
— Gharidah Farooqi (@GFarooqi) December 6, 2021
Twitter user Imran Baig wrote that one state is sending a corpse to another state. Unfortunately, the quality of the coffin is also in line with the standards of state institutions. The coffin is of finely polished wood, and the seals are sealed. Glass is installed on the face area. The data is listed in the computerized text above.
