Daily Times

ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: Supreme Court Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday took notice of the lynching of Mashal Khan, a student of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, by a mob over alleged blasphemy charges. The notice was taken on a news item published in a section of press containing the details of the incident. Taking notice of the matter, the chief justice sought a report from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police inspector general (IG) within 36 hours. On the other hand, KP Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak signed a summary for holding judicial inquiry into lynching of Mashal. An application has been sent to the Peshawar High Court chief justice, requesting him to constitute a committee to probe the lynching incident. KP government spokesman Mushtaq Ghani said the respective summary, duly signed by the chief minister, had been sent to the Peshawar High Court registrar. It may be mentioned here that eight of the suspected members of the mob were charged with murder and terrorism on Saturday. So far, a total of 12 people have been arrested over the incident and police are hunting for more suspects. “Eight students were presented before an anti-terrorism court in Mardan over murder and challenging the writ of the state,” public prosecutor Rafiullah Khan told AFP. Mashal was stripped, beaten, shot, and thrown from the second floor of his hostel at the university by a large mob on Thursday. Graphic video footage from the crime scene showed dozens of men outside the hostel kicking and hurling projectiles at his body sprawled on the ground.