Politicians demand speedy trial of accused

Mashal lynching case

SWABI: Leaders of different political parties on Monday demanded speedy trial of all the persons who were directly or indirectly involved in the lynching of student Mashal Khan at the Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan.

The demand was made by politicians and members of the civil society organisations who attended the gathering at the Haqqani Library in Swabi.The event was organised by the Mashal Forum, a body of youngsters working for the promotion of education in Swabi district. Mashal Khan was lynched at the Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan by a mob of fellow students and university employees on the charges of blasphemy on April 13.

Qaumi Watan Party’s Information Secretary Salim Khan said that Mashal Khan was targetted under a conspiracy as he had ‘exposed’ all those who had indulged in wrong practices at the university.

Former MNA Bushra Gohar, who belongs to the ANP, said an act of terrorism was carried out at a university that was named after the late Abdul Wali Khan who was a strong believer in non-violence and was known for his struggle for peace.

“They killed the mashal (lamp) of education at a university. A true Muslim and a Pakhtun always speak out against injustice,” she said.MNA Usman Khan Tarakai said that those who murdered Mashal Khan would be punished and made an example for future generations.

Swabi’s District Nazim Ameer Rehman said his party leadership firmly believed in the philosophy of Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Bacha Khan), who advocated non-violence and abhorred violence.He said anybody found involved violating this philosophy would be expelled from the ANP.

Jamaat-e-Islami district head Mehmoodul Hassan said that the killing of Mashal Khan was an act of oppression against humanity.Muhammad Iqbal, the father of Mashal Khan, said that he didn’t want sons or daughters of others to suffer the fate that Mashal Khan met and that too at a place which was meant for spreading knowledge.

PTI MNA Aqibullah Khan, Liaqat Yousafzai, Laiba Yousafzai and several other leaders of political parties and members of the civil society organisations spoke on the occasion.At the end, a committee was constituted to attend the hearing of Mashal Khan’s case at the Supreme Court.