ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court which began hearing a suo moto case pertaining to the lynching of Mashal Khan, a 23-year-old student of Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, on Wednesday said that complete justice will be ensured in the horrible incident.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, heading a three-member bench adjourned the hearing to April 27. 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 stopped Peshawar High Court (PHC) from establishing judicial commission in the murder case.
During the Justice Umar Ata Bandial directed the investigation officers to not restrict the probe on statements only. He also sought clarification from Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Pervaiz Khattak and ordered fair inquiry into the matter.
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.
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.
INP