“He was kind-hearted and never made fun of religion,” says Swat mob lynching victim’s friend

The victim of the mob lynching in Swat, Sulaiman Qamar, was described as a kind-hearted man who never mocked religion but instead showed a desire to deepen his understanding of the Holy Quran.

In a horrific incident, Sulaiman Qamar, a tourist from Sialkot, was vacationing in Madyan area of Swat when tragedy struck on June 20. 

He was accused of burning pages of the Holy Quran by an enraged mob without evidence. The mob brutally paraded him naked and then set him on fire.

Qamar's childhood friend, Advocate Jawad Mir, recently spoke about his death in a Facebook post.

Mir explained that Qamar had been under psychological stress due to family disputes, but he emphasised that his friend was not an unstable person.

He was born in 1987 to an Arain family in a small house on Bilal Street, Mohalla Pakpura, Sialkot. He also completed his intermediate education there.

Advocate Jawad Mir explained that after Qamar's father passed away, the responsibility of earning fell on Qamar's shoulders as the eldest son. 

He went to Malaysia to find work, and there, his fortunes improved. He built a successful business and was able to financially support his family.

“Nearly all of our friends were religious, with none of us being secular or unaffiliated with any religion. In fact, we fondly remember our frequent gatherings for prayer together,” he added.

Sulaiman was fond of the poetry of Ahmad Faiz, Iqbal, and Mir Taqi Mir. 

Advocate Jawad Mir furthred on, “Since the Madyan tragedy, there has been constant discussion on his drug habit and domestic quarrels. It is important to clarify that this was not always the case. This change in him began around two and a half years ago when property disputes within his family caused him severe stress. As a result, he became depressed and reduced contact with his friends.”

“He was not a person with a chronic mental illness or someone with psychotic tendencies. He never intended to harm anyone and was, in fact, very generous," Mir affirmed.

The friend stated that Qamar often helped patients who could not afford their hospital bills.

"We never witnessed any disrespect towards religion from him. He did not actively participate in religious debates, nor did he show any signs of religious intolerance. He never mocked Islam or religious figures." he elucidated.

"A friend recalled that Qamar expressed a desire to not just read the Quran religiously, but to gain a deeper understanding of it. He also had a strong devotion to Maulana Rumi and listened to lectures by Javed Ghamdi," Mir added. 

Deeply regretting his friend's lynching, Mir said that he felt compelled to explain his Qamar's life in order to demonstrate how easy it is to make serious accusations against someone without waiting for evidence.