SC stops KP govt from forming judicial commission in Mashal murder case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court began hearing a suo moto case pertaining to the horrific lynching of Mashal Khan, a 23-year-old student of Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, on Wednesday.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, heading a three-member bench which heard the case, said complete justice will be ensured in Mashal Khan murder case.

Chief Justice Saqib Nisar assured IG Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police Salahuddin Mehsud of full support in the investigation against the perpetrators of the incident, saying the judiciary and nation stand with the KP police.

The apex court adjourned the hearing to April 27 and stopped the KP government from forming a judicial commission for inquiry into the matter, saying as investigations were already underway there was no need for a separate judicial commission.

The Supreme Court also demanded clarification from KP chief minister Pervaiz Khattak over a letter he wrote to the Peshawar High Court last week for creation of a judicial commission.

The court instructed the investigation team to submit reports on Mashal Khan case proceedings on a weekly basis.

Mashal Khan, a journalism student, was stripped, beaten, shot, and thrown from the second floor of his hostel by a violent mob at the AWKUM campus premises on April 13 over blasphemy allegations.

The incident caused an uproar and drew calls for thorough investigations into the matter and the arrest of vigilantes involved in the ghastly murder. So far, 24 suspects have been arrested while 19 have been presented in court. The university has also suspended seven of its employees for alleged involvement in Mashal's murder.

Read: Four more suspects arrested, AWKUM suspends seven employees

Among the prominent figures, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan spoke up against the gruesome act first. Condemning the murder of Mashal Khan, the PTI chief called for firm action against all those responsible. He termed Mashal's murder a conspiracy and said blasphemy was used as an excuse to target the student.

Read: Blasphemy was used as an excuse to target Mashal: Imran Khan

He was followed by Pakistani Nobel laureate Malala Yousufzai, who denounced the gruesome act saying that such incidents were bringing a bad name to Islam.

A day after, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called on the nation to stand united in condemning the murder of the 23-year-old university student, and to promote tolerance and rule of law in the society.

On April 16, Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar took suo moto notice of Mashal's murder by fellow students over alleged blasphemy. He directed IG Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Salahuddin Mehsud to present a report on the incident within the next 36 hours.

On Tuesday, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police submitted a detailed report on Mashal Khan’s killing to the apex court. The report stated that the university administration telephoned Mardan police at 12:52 PM on April 13 and asked them to reach the campus, without mentioning the incident.

Mardan DSP Haider Khan reached the university and saw an angry mob torturing Mashal Khan’s friend, Abdullah. The official intervened and rescued Abdullah, the report stated, adding that police had obtained call records of Haider Khan as well as the CCTV footage of the incident.

One of the survivors of the lynching, Abdullah, recorded his statement and rejected all allegations against him and Mashal Khan.

In his statement, Abdullah said that prior to the murder of Mashal Khan, the administration of the university was ‘deadly’ against him because he was critical of loopholes in the system.

Abdullah has reportedly placed responsibility of the incident on the university administration.

Read: Teacher says Mashal was not given chance to prove his innocence