Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Hamza Khan, a 23-year-old student from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) who accused Aware Girls’ founder Gulalai Ismail of blasphemy, has been arrested after a Peshawar court announced judgement against him.

Khan had accused Gulalai of uttering derogatory remarks against religion and the Pashtun culture. He had said in a video message last year that the women rights activist was a ‘Western agent’ working against the country.

Pertaining the allegations, Gulalai filed a case against Khan with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on November 21, which eventually lead to the 23-year-old’s arrest earlier this week after thorough investigation by the related authorities.

Additional Sessions Judge Ayesha Arshad also rejected Khan’s bail plea, a decision that is being lauded by rights activists countrywide.

Speaking to the media, the Aware Girls spearhead said that she wanted to set a precedent so that other human rights activists and other young women can speak and feel free to express themselves. Gulalai also stated that she will file a case against Khan in the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC).

Earlier this month, a college student from Charsadda shot his principal to death, while also accusing the slain of having uttered blasphemous remarks, while last year, Abdul Wali Khan University student Mashal Khan was murdered by a mob following similar accusations, which were later dismissed by the investigation officer.