The special anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Haripur recorded on Wednesday statements of seven witnesses in Mashal Khan lynching case. A day earlier 57 suspects were indicted accusing of being involved in the murder of Mashal Khan, the Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (AWKUM) student who was lynched in April over blasphemy allegations.
The case proceedings resumed in the special court of ATC under the chair of Justice Fazal Subhan in his chambers at the Haripur Central Jail. During the hearing, statements from seven witnesses were recorded in the presence of lawyers representing suspects.
After hearing prosecutor and defence lawyers, the judge ordered to present all 57 indicted persons in the court before the lawyers and witnesses for identification purposes. The ATC has been adjourned till September 27.
Special security measures were taken during the court proceedings, only allowing lawyers and relevant people to enter the ATC premise. The hearing was attended by Iqbal Khan, father of the victim, three public prosecutors and Hazara division lawyer Fazal Haq Abbasi as defence lawyer of 27 students accused in the case.
Meanwhile, Mashal’s father requested the provincial government’s law and prosecution department to provide help as the case proceeds.
Iqbal said, “I request the law and prosecution department of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to provide legal expertise to present our case.” He also asked the government to ensure justice was delivered.
