Mashal’s mother dissatisfied with court verdict

SWABI: Mashal Khan's mother said on Wednesday that she had reservations over anti-terrorism court (ATC) verdict in the lynching case of her son. The court has awarded death sentence to one accused, life imprisonment to five and acquitted 26 accused in the Mashal lynching case. He was killed on April 13 last year on the campus of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan.

The mother said she was not satisfied with the court verdict as she had expected a tougher decision. Reacting to the court decision, she told reporters that her son was killed in a university and justice was not done. She declared that the family would move the Peshawar High Court and Supreme Court to seek justice for her son. The woman said their struggle for justice would not stop. She added that the acquitted persons were visible in the videos. She said they targetted her son and their intention was quite clear. "All the accused were involved in killing of my son," she asserted. In reply to a question, she said that though she was satisfied with the death sentence and life imprisonment given to six accused, she demanded that all the accused should be punished. The woman opposed the acquittal of the 26 accused.

Answering another question, she added that her son was killed but it was more painful that his body was insulted. She questioned the way her son was killed and said all the accused deserved punishment.

Aimal Iqbal, Mashal's brother, said that their legal team would discuss the verdict in detail and they would decide the future line of action after that. He welcomed the announcement of the provincial government to file an appeal in the court for a tougher punishment to all accused.