Mardan Nazim claims stance on Mashal’s killing not different from party line

PESHAWAR: Mardan’s District Nazim Himayatullah Mayar said on Monday that his leaders in the Awami National Party (ANP) should have listened to his stance on the killing of student Mashal Khan before issuing a show-cause notice to him.

However, he said he would reply to the show-cause notice within the specified period.“My stance is not different from my party as I had condemned the killing of Mashal Khan and whoever is involved should be awarded an exemplary punishment,” he told The News. ANP provincial president Ameer Haider Hoti, who is also former chief minister, issued a show-cause notice on Sunday to Himayatullah Mayar to explain his position as the party felt his stance was different from that of the party on lynching of Mashal Khan by fellow students and employees of the Abdul Wali Khan University.

Himayatullah Mayar, who is also district head of the ANP in Mardan and a longtime party loyalist, denied that his close relatives or friends were involved in the gory incident. “I had stated on the very first day that no one is above the law and killing an innocent person is the death of humanity,” he argued.

He stressed that thorough investigation should be conducted into the lynching of Mashal Khan and whosoever was behind his death must be dealt with in accordance with the law.In reply to a question, he said the ANP representatives attended a meeting of political parties in Mardan to present the party’s stance on the issue.

“Our party members had the same stance that our central leadership has,” he said. He made it clear that no joint statement was issued by that meeting on Mashal Khan’s killing.