Petition seeking suo moto notice on Mashal Khan’s lynching incident submitted in SC

ISLAMABAD - A petition has been submitted to the Supreme Court of Pakistan calling upon Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar to take suo moto notice of the Mardan lynching incident.

The petition submitted by the president of the Civil Society Network, Pakistan, Abdullah Malik states that the incident was a violation of basic human rights and an incident like this within a university is a cause of concern for society.

It is further stated in the petition that those involved in the murder of the student be brought to justice.

The petitioner also recalled that the Supreme Court judgement in the Salmaan Taseer murder case of 2015 had said that asking for improvement in the blasphemy law to stop its misuse should not be considered objectionable. The organisation is also one of the petitioners before the Supreme Court against the Orange Line Metro Train project.

Muhammad Mashal Khan, a student of mass communication at Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan was lynched and killed by an angry mob in the premises of the University on Thursday after being alleged of blasphemy.

Mashal’s grieving father spoke with a private TV channel and said his deceased son had always respected religion and was focused primarily on his education.

"Mashal used to talk about the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) with family members at home. His prime focus was on education," Mashal's father said.

Moreover, on Saturday Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak approved the summary seeking a judicial inquiry into the horrific incident.