No evidence to suggest Mashal Khan committed blasphemy, say police
Peshawar — Police in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday said there was no concrete evidence yet to register a blasphemy case against Mashal Khan who was lynched by a violent mob, as it arrested 22 people and opened a hate speech probe against two clerics in the case.
“We did not find any concrete evidence under which an investigation or legal action can be launched against Mashal, Abdullah or Zubair,” Inspector General of Police Salahuddin Khan Mehsud told reporters at a press conference. Mashal, a journalism student at the Khan Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan in KhyberPakhtunkhwa, was stripped, beaten and shot in the head and chest by the mob on Thursday.
The video of the gruesome violence made via mobile phone cameras shows Khan’s disrobed body – covered in blood – being dragged, first in a hallway and then on a road of the campus. The murder shocked the people and triggered protests.
Mehsud said that prior to the murder, investigating officers had not found anything on social media but after the incident, there was a lot of activity. He added that police have sought the help of Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) because there are manufactured, edited pictures and videos on social media sites for which we need an expert opinion of the FIA.
Mehsud also said that a total of 22 individuals have been arrested in the murder case. “The suspects were identified through closedcircuit television (CCTV) cameras. The suspects will be presented before an anti-terrorism court.”
Responding to a question, Mehsud said that the police will only consider the arrested individuals’ suspects and not focus on their political affiliations. — PTI