MARDAN: Another accused in Mashal Khan lynching case surrendered to the police here on Monday, sources said. The surrender of the Sabir Mayar brought the number of the arrested accused in the case to 60.
The sources added that Sabir Mayar turned himself in to the police at the office of the District Police Officer (DPO) Mian Saeed Ahmad. Mardan Press Club President Lutfullah Lutf and General Secretary Riaz Mayar, Malik Perez, Rizwanullah, Gul Mohammad and other elders were also present on the occasion.
It may be mentioned that Sabir Mayar had been declared an absconder in the case. One suspect Asad Katlang is still at large. It may be noted that on April 13, 2017, a mob of students, employees of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan and some outsiders lynched Mashal Khan, a student of Journalism and Mass Communication Department, after accusing him of committing blasphemy.
Later, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took suo moto notice of the incident and a 13-member joint investigation team was formed to probe the case on directive of the apex court.
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Monday issued notices to respondents in an application filed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Advocate General Office for hearing of all appeals in principal seat of the high court.
A single bench of Chief Justice Yahya Afridi heard the application. During hearing, Iftikhar Ahmad, counsel for the respondents accused, requested the court to give him some time to go through the application.
Law officer, representing the provincial government, submitted before the bench that the state and Muhammad Iqbal Khan, father of Mashal Khan, had filed appeals against the decision of Anti-Terrorism Court in the principal seat of the high court, while the convicted persons in the Mashal Khan lynching case had filed appeals against the conviction at the PHC Abbottabad Circuit Bench. He requested the court to club all the appeals and fixed for hearing in the principal seat.
However, the respondents' lawyer requested the court to adjourn the case as he was not prepared and aware of the grounds taken in the application for fixing all cases here in the principal seat as he submitted his power of attorney on Monday in the case.
The court adjourned the case and fixed March 26 for next hearing. The provincial government and Mashal father had filed appeals against acquittal of 26 accused and for enhancement of sentence to the convicted persons.
