LAHORE: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) hearing Mashal Khan murder case on Wednesday pronounced 31 suspects guilty and sentenced 1 to death, 5 to 25 years in prison, 25 to 4 years in prison whereas remaining 26 acquitted.
Judge Fazal Subhan read the verdict that was reserved last month. All 57 suspects were present in the court amid tight security.
The person awarded death penalty is Imran Ali who had confessed to the crime before a magistrate. He is also the one who shot the fire.
The capital punishment was awarded under section 302(b) and section 7(1)(a) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) while the five others were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment under section 302(b)/148/149 of PPC.
Talking to the media, Mashal’s father, Iqbal Khan lauded the judgement and said that he will continue to fight for people such as his son, who were murdered over false accusations and fake news.
“Imran was rightly sentenced to death. The court’s verdict is aligned with my stance on my son’s murder. I will continue to struggle, and till now, I support the court’s decision,” Iqbal Khan said.
Mashal Khan, a Mass Communication student from Abdul Wali Khan University of Mardan, was brutally lynched to death after being shot by a charged mob that accused him of blasphemy. The police later submitted to the court that no evidence was found of the blasphemy allegation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced that it will appeal against the acquittal of 26 of the 57 accused.
Also Read: Justice for Mashal today
Earlier, the family members of the arrested suspects staged a protest outside the court after being stopped from entering the courtroom before the verdict was announced.
Ahead of the verdict announcement, heavy security was deployed at the jail in the city of Haripur where the accused were detained, with the area cordoned off by around 300 regular police and elite commandos.
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