April 15, 2024
By Aitzaz Ibrahim
LAHORE:
The seventh anniversary of student Mashal Khan, who was killed after being tortured on charges of blasphemy at Mardan’s Abdul Wali Khan University, was observed on April 14 in his hometown of Swabi.
His father, Iqbal Khan, laid flowers on his son’s grave in the Zaida area of Swabi.
Mashal Khan, a journalism student at Abdul Wali Khan University, was brutally attacked by enraged fellow students on April 13, 2017, over allegations of blasphemy.
Talking to Voicepk, Iqbal Khan said that his son was killed for standing up for truth. “I appeal to the Supreme Court for swift justice.”
The appeal for the Mashal Khan case is currently under consideration in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. For the past two years, a date for the hearing has not been scheduled.
Abid Saqi, the lawyer handling the case, expressed concern that the Supreme Court’s busy schedule, which includes political and high-profile cases, makes it difficult for cases involving ordinary citizens to secure a timely hearing, and individuals often have to wait for years for their cases to be addressed.
On February 7, 2018, the Haripur anti-terrorism court sentenced the main accused, Imran Ali, to death in the Mashal Khan case. The court sentenced five individuals to life imprisonment, while 25 others were sentenced to four years in prison. However, 26 individuals were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
Later, however, 25 convicts who were convicted were granted bail, and the death sentence of the main accused, Imran Ali, was commuted to life imprisonment.
In response, Mashal Khan’s father approached the Supreme Court, appealing the case. As of now, the case remains pending in the Supreme Court, and Khan family continues to await justice.