SC to hear Mashal Khan lynching case tomorrow

CJP Justice Saqib Nisar earlier took suo motu notice of the incident and sought report from IGP K-P

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has decided to begin hearings of the Mardan lynching case from Wednesday. Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on April 15 had taken notice of the lynching of Mashal Khan and directed the K-P police chief to submit a report on the incident. Based on that report, the CJ decided to move forward with hearings and issued notices to the police chief and the K-P advocate general.

Mashal Khan, a student of Journalism and Mass Communication at Mardan’s Abdul Wali Khan University, was shot in the head and chest on Thursday and then his body was desecrated by a mob of fellow students which accused him of committing a blasphemy.

On Saturday, the CJP ordered the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's police chief Salahuddin Mehsud to submit a report within 36 hours.

Earlier today, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan visited the deceased student's house and said those responsible for his murder will be given exemplary punishment.



He further said Mashal Khan did not commit blasphemy and it had been confirmed it was a conspiracy against him. Imran also vowed to make the case exemplary so that no one in future "uses blasphemy charges to accuse and kill someone."

On April 15, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif directed law enforcement to apprehend those responsible for the murder. "The perpetrators behind the murder of Mashal Khan should know that the state would not tolerate citizens taking the law into their own hands."

"No father should have to send his child off to be educated with the fear of having him return in a coffin," he said, urging the nation "to stand united" to condemn this crime and promote tolerance and rule of law in the society.