We forget fast

JITs have become a byword for justice in this country – at least where the prime minister’s alleged corruption is concerned. But another JIT also concluded its investigation more than a month ago and its findings have been all but ignored. At the beginning of June, a 13-member JIT submitted its report to the Supreme Court on the lynching and murder of Mashal Khan but no action has been taken since then. Our collective memory as a nation is a very short one. When Mashal was beaten and shot to death in April this year, we swore we would not let the brutal death go unavenged. We pledged there would be no more victims like Mashal in our country or on our university campuses. It says a lot about our priorities as a country that such a horrifying crime, committed by those in positions of authority, should be met with a shrug. The investigation found that Mashal’s murder was pre-planned, that there was zero evidence that Mashal or any of his friends had committed blasphemy and that the plan to murder him was cooked up by the president of the Pakhtun Students Federation and the president of the employees union at the Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan. Additionally, security personnel at the campus were faulted for not conveying the gravity of the situation to the police. The names of those responsible were clearly stated in the JIT report but the suspects are still awaiting trial. The Peshawar High Court has not even decided where to hold the trial yet. This delay is unjustifiable as it only emboldens those who were part of the conspiracy to murder Mashal and leaves the rest of us feeling nothing but despair.

The JIT report was particularly scathing about the university administration, revealing that it allowed criminal elements to flourish on campus, made illegal appointments and were out to get Mashal because of his activism on student issues. Immediately after Mashal’s murder, a new pro-vice chancellor was appointed but other than making a few transfers he has done nothing to ensure such an incident is not repeated again. The political class has been largely silent with the ANP not taking any action against its student wing and the PTI having little to say either. The police force, which was disturbingly ineffective on the day of the crime. has not implemented any reforms either. The determination of everyone – from the provincial government to law enforcement to the judicial system to the university administration and the political parties – to ignore this case shows that they just want the case to go away. Mashal’s brave parents are still struggling for justice but the most powerful forces in the country seem to be arrayed against them.