Last year, a charged mob killed an innocent student, Mashal Khan, who was studying at a Mardan university, on the false accusations of blasphemy. The brutal manner in which the 23-year-old boy was killed was captured in a video which went viral on social media. There, it gained the attention of the majority who called out the authorities and debated on the presence of extremism and violence in university campuses.
The incident also started a debate on how blasphemy laws are being used to settle personal scores. What happened to the bright young boy is tragic. We cannot bring Mashal back, but we can create a tolerant society for our younger generations. The main focus of the government should be to counter widespread extremism and intolerance.
Rida Jawaid (Karachi )