We seek justice for Mashal Khan, stresses Malala

 

LONDON: Social activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai shared that she is standing with Mashal Khan’s father to seek justice for his son's killing.

Mashal, a journalism student at Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, was killed on April 13, 2017 by a violent mob on the pretext of committing blasphemy. However, investigators found no proof of blasphemy and ruled that the murder was politically motivated.

Mashal’s father Muhammad Iqbal Lala spoke at a session in Oxford University recently, where he was welcomed by Malala.

After the event, Malala shared on her Twitter account: “I was honored to welcome Muhammad Iqbal Lala to speak at Oxford Uni. His son, Mashal Khan, was brutally killed by a mob in Mardan Pakistan, based on malicious allegations of blasphemy. Mashal advocated against injustice & corruption. We stand with Lala to seek justice for Mashal.” 

The anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Abbottabad is expected to announce the verdict in the Mashal Khan murder case on February 7.

ATC Judge Fazal-i-Subhan Khan heard the case in the heavily guarded Haripur Central Jail.

The Peshawar High Court had transferred the case from Mardan to ATC Abbottabad, which heard the case in the Haripur jail, on a request of Mashal's father, who sought the move fearing his "influential adversaries".

'KP govt failed to honour promises'

On January 22, Mashal Khan’s father said that he himself is bearing the expenses of the police security for his family and that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has not fulfilled a single promise made to him after the lynching of his son.

KP govt failed to honour promises made after Mashal Khan’s murder, laments father

Muhammad Iqbal shared that he is paying for the security for his family

Muhammad Iqbal - known fondly as Iqbal Lala - was delivering annual Bacha Khan Lecture at the Brunei Gallery of the London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). 

He was joined on stage by Ziauddin Yousufzai, Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousufzai’s father. Iqbal Lala is visiting the United Kingdom on the invitation of Bloomsbury Pakistan.

After my son was lynched to death on 13 April, last year, I was given police security by the government but I am paying for the expense of the security and not the KP government, said Iqbal Lala while speaking to media.

He said Imran Khan and speaker KP Assembly Asad Qaiser had visited him after his son’s murder and made promises which remain unfulfilled.

“We are commoners, they [PTI govt] are our rulers, we respect them of course but I can't lie that they have helped us. They have done nothing for us so far. We are paying for our own security. My son didn’t have a security threat yet he was murdered in broad daylight,” remarked Iqbal Lala.