An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Haripur on Tuesday indicted 57 people in the Mashal Khan lynching case, South Punjab News reported.
Strict security measures were taken in the vicinity of Haripur jail — where the trial was conducted — where the arrested men, who have been indicted in the case, were presented before the ATC. They were being held in the Haripur Central Prison.
A second hearing will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) in which the prosecution and defence will present their arguments. Mashal's father Iqbal Khan will also appear before the court on Wednesday.
All those indicted in the case have pleaded not guilty.
In April, a vigilante mob, incited by rumours attacked Khan for allegedly "publishing blasphemous content online". The mass communication student of Abdul Wali Khan University (AWKU) was beaten and shot by the mob and succumbed to the injuries he received.
A report compiled by the 13-member joint investigation team probing the lynching stated that a group in AWKU incited a mob against the student on the pretext of blasphemy. It added that no proof was found that Mashal Khan had committed blasphemy.
In July, Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Yahya Afridi had ordered the transfer of the Mashal Khan murder case from Mardan to an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Haripur jail after Khan's father requested the move fearing "influential adversaries".
Iqbal in his petition had also requested the PHC to pay his legal fee, and the Supreme Court provide protection to his daughters, who haven’t been to school since Mashal’s murder.
