Mashal Khan 'Blasphemy' Murder: Death Sentence Given By Pakistani Court Within A Year

A 23-year-old boy, Mashal Khan, was lynched by an angry mob at Mardan’s Abdul Wali Khan University on the false pretext of blasphemy on April 13th, 2017. He was dragged out from his hostel by hundreds of his fellow students and was brutally beaten, shot and finally his body was ruthlessly mutilated.

A Haripur Anti-Terrorism Court has carried out a verdict in the Mashal Lynching case. One man has been sentenced to death, five men have been sentenced to 25 years in jail, 25 others have been sentenced to 3 years in jail for minor offences and 26 other men have been acquitted without any punishment.

Who was Mashal Khan and what led to his murder?

Mashal Khan was a liberal young Pakistani student who called himself a humanitarian on facebook. His hostel room was covered with slogans glorifying “freedom of speech” and posters of Che Guevara and Karl Marx plastered neatly up on his wall. He wanted to become a journalist so that he could become the voice of those facing against injustice.

A rumor was spread in the university campus that Mashal Khan has posted blasphemous material online. This led to the outrage of the hardliners and they dragged Mashal outside his hostel and murdered him. It is also said the Mashal had a heated debate on religious extremism the day before his murder took place.

Though blasphemy is a punishable crime in Pakistan, the gory lynching of Mashal left the entire country in a state of shock.

What can India take from this?

The state of Pakistan who is often referred to as the so called “failed state” has brought justice to Mashal within one year of his lynching while India who boasts of being the world’s greatest democracy has miserably failed to punish the heinous murderers of Junaid, Akhlaq, Kalburgi, Pehlu Khan and many others who were the victims of communal hatred and sheer intolerance at the hands of religious extremists.

The Logical Indian’s take

The Logical Indian extends our solidarity and condolence to Mashal Khan. At the same time, we congratulate Pakistan for the verdict and handing punishment to the perpetrators within such a short period. We believe that India should take lessons from Pakistan and render justice to the victims of intolerance and hatred in India too.

Also Read:

1. Mashal Khan, A Youth With A Promising Future, Killed By His Own Friends Over A Religious Debate
2. After A Mob Lynched A Student For Alleged “Blasphemy”, Pakistan’s Youth Demand Change In Blasphemy Laws