Pakistani national Mishal Khan’s lynch mob killers sentenced

Mishal Khan, a 23-year-old student of Mass Communication at the Abdul Wali Khan University. (Photo courtesy: social media)

PESHAWAR: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Haripur issued one death sentence and five life imprisonments in the Mishal Khan murder case on Wednesday.
Twenty-five people were sentenced to four years in prison. The court dismissed cases against 26 others because of insufficient evidence.
Khan, a 23-year-old student of Mass Communication at the Abdul Wali Khan University, was falsely accused of blasphemy last year, resulting in his lynching by an angry mob, mainly consisting of fellow students and university faculty.
The killing took place in Mardan, the second-largest city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), on April 13, 2017, causing outrage across the country. The trial began in September.
ATC Judge Fazal-e-Subhan announced the verdict amid tight security at Haripur Central Prison — the case having been moved from Mardan amid security concerns. Imran Ali, who confessed to shooting Khan, received the death sentence.
A total of 58 people were originally taken into custody, although others, who were clearly inciting the mob in a video that of the incident that was circulated on social media, have still not been apprehended.
Earlier in the day, the parents of a number of those arrested staged a protest outside the prison, which they were prohibited from entering.
After hearing the verdict, Khan’s brother, Aimal, said that his family would seek legal advice on how to proceed.
He also demanded the immediate arrest of all those who had so far evaded the authorities, adding that that KP’s provincial government should fulfill its promise to rename the University of Swabi after Mishal Khan.