Mashal Khan lynching case in Pakistan: Two more sentenced to life imprisonment

Dubai: Two more accused including the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) counsellor Arif Khan and Asad have been given life imprisonment in the Mashal Khan lynching case.

Mashal Khan, 23, a student of Mass Communications at Mardan’s Abdul Wali Khan University (AWKU), had been beaten and shot to death by an angry mob on April 13, 2017, after he was accused of blasphemy.

The horrific lynching which was caught on video and circulated on social media shocked the nation. It also sparked a debate over the misuse of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan.

Two other suspects identified as Sabir Mayar and Izhar were acquitted by the court. Thursday’s verdict involved for four people who had absconded from court during the first trial.

Speaking to the media, Mashal Khan’s father Iqbal said he would challenge the court’s decision to acquit the two accused in the high court.

A total of 61 people suspected of involvement in the lynching ─ the majority of them students and university employees and a PTI leader ─ were charged in the first information report. Out of these, 57 were sentenced by a court on February 7, 2018.

JIT Report

In June 2017, a 13-member joint investigation team concluded in its report that the allegations of blasphemy against Mashal were unfounded and were used as a pretext to incite a mob against the slain student

The JIT report had said Mashal was murdered in line with a plan allegedly hatched by the president of the Pakhtun Students Federation, Sabir Mayar, and Ajmal, the president of the employees at AWKU, where Mashal was studying Mass Communication.

Mashal had been vocal about the rights of students at the university and even challenged the appointment of a new vice chancellor at the university to ensure that students were able to obtain their degrees, which is not possible without the vice chancellor’s signature, the report had added. The investigation revealed that illegal and criminal activities persisted in the university hostel and female students were also exploited in the university.

Why Mashal was killed?

The Joint Investigation Team formed over the lynching case revealed in its report in June 2017 that members of the Pakhtoon Students Federation, the student wing of the Awami National Party, incited the mob to kill Mashal on the pretext of blasphemy. The report stated the murder was premeditated as the group was threatened by Mashal’s activities because he would raise his voice against irregularities at his university.

He had protested over the issue of the university not having a vice chancellor after the previous one retired, as the absence of one would hinder the students from getting their degrees, read the report.