Protests against lynching of student in Mardan

20 arrested as Mashal Khan laid to rest in Swabi; father, sister insist Mashal was innocent, seek justice; CM announces judicial probe; SC requested to take suo moto notice of incident; Imran, Asfandyar, Bilawal, others condemn incident

PESHAWAR/SWABI/MARDAN: Civil society organisations on Friday staged protests and demonstrations in Peshawar and Lahore to condemn the killing of a student of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan on blasphemy charges.

In Peshawar, the protesters chanted slogans against the administration of the university and the Mardan Police for their Mehsud, Mukhtar Bacha, Gulalai Ismail, Sana Ijaz and others. They said that it was an unprecedented incident in the history of Pakhtuns. They said the state would have to change its policies if it wanted to control such incidents in future. They demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident. 

They also announced to hold a protest demonstration in the village of the student Mashal Khan on his soyem. Mashal Khan was laid to rest in his native Zaida village in Swabi district on Friday, while 20 people were arrested in connection with the lynching incident.

The funeral prayer of Mashal Khan was offered at 9:00am at the main Eidgah in Zaida village. About 1,000 people, mostly relatives, friends and co-villagers of Mashal Khan, attended the funeral.

Mashal Khan was studying in his sixth semester. However, none of his fellow students from the university's Journalism and Mass Communication Department or officials attended the funeral. The body of the student was brought to his home at night. Earlier, it was received by the local officials at Kalu Khan Police Station and escorted to Zaida village. Police handed over the body to his family amid moving scenes.

Muhammad Iqbal, father of Mashal Khan, said that it was the responsibility of the institutions to investigate the incident. He said that his neighbours knew that how he had groomed his children. "I want justice as my son was innocent. I cannot even imagine that he will have committed blasphemy," he maintained.

His grieving sister told reporters that Mashal Khan wanted her to complete her education. "It's a conspiracy against my brother and it must be unearthed," she added. Mashal Khan's mother was also in mourning and extremely sad due to the sudden tragedy that befell her family. 

Meanwhile, Awami National Party (ANP) Mardan president Himayatullah Mayar urged his party workers not to comment on the murder of Mashal Khan until the issue was probed. In a statement, Himayatullah Mayar, who is also District Nazim Mardan, said the party workers should wait patiently for the outcome of the probe.

Himayatullah Mayar earlier met Mashal Khan's fellow students to learn more about the issue. He also had a meeting with the officials of the local administration and asked them to conduct free and fair inquiry into the incident. Some students of the university said on the condition of anonymity that trouble had been brewing on the university campus for the last several days. They added that university administration didn't take action or inform the police. The students said that majority of the officials had disappeared from the university and this had compromised discipline on the campus. They alleged that negligence on the part of the university administration led to the incident. They claimed that majority of the students brought weapons to the university. 

Meanwhile, Assistant Registrar of Abdul Wali Khan University Afzal Humayun sent a report about the incident to the secretary Higher Education Department, Peshawar, commissioner Mardan, regional police officer Mardan Range and district police officer Mardan.

The report said that on April 13 at about 1:00pm, a group of students in the form of a mob stormed the Journalism and Mass Communication Department in search of three students, namely Mashal Khan, Zubair Khan and Abdullah. It added that Provost Fayyaz Ali Shah, director administration and security in-charge, along with police official entered Journalism and Mass Communication department to bring the situation under control. However, the report added that the mob turned violent and beat up the students.

According to the report, Chief Proctor Dr Idrees and Ziaullah Hamdard, who is lecturer at Journalism Department, and director sports were already present in the office of the chairman Journalism Department. Later, the mob attacked Hostel Number 1 and shot Mashal Khan dead and were about to torch his body when the police arrived. It said investigation was being carried out and a detailed report would be submitted soon.

The police nominated 20 people including students, employees of the university and outsiders in the first information report (FIR). Four employees of the university and an elected councillor were among those charged in the case. Some of those nominated in the FIR were identified as Ali Hussain, Wajahat, Sani, Mujibullah, Imran, Anees, Shoaib, Nawab Ali, Arif Khan, Ali Khan, Afsar Khan, Sajjad, Afsar Afridi, Nasrullah alias Nasir Afridi, Ajmal Mayar, Immad, Abbas and Suhrab.

Meanwhile, the university also formed a six-member committee to probe the incident. It was also learnt that the university administration had earlier rusticated Mashal Khan, Abdullah Khan and Zubair Khan on the complaints of students that they were committing blasphemy. 

The issue of Mashal Khan's Facebook account too has generated controversy. Mashal Khan during his life had alerted that his account had been hacked and was being misused. Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak announced that judicial inquiry would be held into the Abdul Wali Khan University incident as the issue of the lynching of Mashal Khan was also raised in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

He said he had talked to the provincial home secretary and the judicial commission would be notified before his departure for China today (Saturday). The chief minister said it was a brutal incident and nobody should be allowed to take law into their own hands. He added the reports so far received had no proof that the slain student had committed blasphemy. He said the government had taken notice of the incident and judicial inquiry would be conducted to bring those found guilty to justice.

"I am in contact with the police. The cops are collecting evidence and the judicial probe would be announced once the inquiry report is completed," he told the lawmakers. He said it could be an act based on personal grudges or revenge as the slain student's mobile phone data so far checked had no evidence of any derogatory remarks against anyone.

ANP parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak on a call attention notice raised the issue and said the House should condemn the brutal killing of the student.

"What message are we giving to other countries that we had no protection for the life of citizens and there was no law or court of law to punish the accused even if he had committed a heinous crime?" he argued.

Nighat Orakzai of the PPP termed the incident a black day in the history of the province, saying an animal can't be killed in such a brutal way let alone a university student.

The PML-N parliamentary leader Sardar Aurangzeb said the concerned minister should be suspended along with others responsible for their failure to avert the incident. The ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan condemned the killing of the student and demanded judicial inquiry into the matter. 

He said increasing intolerance in universities was not a good omen. He said such incidents could lead the society to destruction. Therefore, he said, the incident should be properly probed and responsibilities fixed so that similar incidents could not be repeated in future. He appealed to the people to stay calm and promote tolerance.

The PTI chairman Imran Khan in a tweet said, "I am in touch with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa inspector general since last night on condemnable lynching of student in Mardan." The PTI chief noted, "Law of the jungle can't prevail," and said that firm action was necessary.

PTI MNA from Islamabad Asad Umer also tweeted, "Mardan lynching yet another example of how increasing intolerance is destroying the fabric of society."

The PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed grave concern over the cold blooded murder of Mashal Khan and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits involved in the condemnable mob act.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court was requested on Friday to take suo moto notice of killing of Mashal Khan by an enraged mob in Mardan. Abdullah Malik, president Civil Society Network Pakistan, requested Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar to take suo moto notice of killing of Mashal Khan. He submitted that it is a shameful act and against the moral values of our religion as well as against the fundamental rights of an individual. He further submitted that no one has the right to take law into own hands and judgment on this issue in Salman Taseer murder case is very clear. “If this serious nature of incident is happening in a university then it’s a serious message for whole society that what trend we are setting in the society,” Abullah submitted.