At least 13 people have been arrested in the brutal lynching of Mashal Khan, a journalism student at Abdul Wali Khan University (AKWU) Mardan, who was killed by a mob of fellow students and university employees on April 13, after accusations of blasphemy.
Mardan DPO Mian Saeed told The Express Tribune on Saturday that six more university employees were identified with the help of video footage of the incident and three of the employees have been arrested bringing the number of arrested individuals to 13.
“Some employees of Abdul Wali Khan University could be seen among the mob which has given the investigation a new direction for the time being,” said DPO Saeed. “These employees were very much part of the mob and this is shocking.”
He added that the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) has been included in the investigation and police is looking into different angles.
The 20 suspects that had been nominated in the FIR registered on April 14 include a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) local councillor and five employees of Abdul Wali Khan University (AKWU) Mardan. The six other people identified today, whose names have not yet been released, brings the number of AKWU employees believed to be involved in the incident to 11.
The FIR, which was registered at Sheikh Maltoon police station, names tehsil councillor Arif, five AKWU employees: Ali Khan, an office assistant, Ajmal Mayar, an office bearer of the varsity clerks association and former office bearer of Pakhtoon Students Federation at Government Post Graduate College Mardan, Afsar Khan who is a varsity superintendent, Sajad, who works in the campus library and Nawab Ali, who works at the Physical Education department. The remaining suspects are students.
“The councillor accused in the lynching case was a diehard PTI worker,” said a local councillor, who requested not to be named due to the matter’s sensitivity. He said Arif, known locally as Arif Mardan, contested the local government elections on the party’s ticket. Arif is an office bearer of the Insaf Student Federation (ISF) Mardan district.
DPO Saeed said the councillor has not yet been arrested because he has absconded.
The FIR registered under several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act states that students were protesting on campus against Mashal Khan and two other students named Abdullah and Zubair, claiming they had committed blasphemy. Police was called in and the students were dispersed.
The FIR further adds that during negotiations between the administration and protesting students, police learnt that a mob had brutally murdered Mashal in a university hostel. They arrived to the spot and shifted his body to DHQ hospital for a post-mortem. . According to the DPO, Khan’s autopsy report had confirmed that he died of gunshot wounds.
Lawyer and rights activist, Jibran Nasir has offered legal assistance to the victim’s family. He told The Express Tribune that a group of activists would provide the family legal support if they are unable to afford a private lawyer and a court case.
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