Lahore: The main accused in Mashal Khan murder case, Arif Mardanvi, was on Friday handed over to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police on a three-day remand.
The accused was presented before Justice Abdur Rauf in the sessions court. During the hearing, the law enforcement officials requested the court to grant a three-day remand. The request was granted.
Earlier on Thursday, KP police arrested Arif Khan, who had reportedly escaped to Turkey after the crime.
Speaking to the media, Mardan DPO Mian Saeed said that the police had apprehended him in Chamtar union council of Mardan district. PTI Chairman Imran Khan took to Twitter to praise the development. He said, “I want to commend the KP police for succeeding in arresting the main accused in the Mashal Khan murder case, Arif Rangi, a PTI councillor. This is how a professional and depoliticised police force works, in contrast to the politicised police forces of Punjab and Sindh.”
Mashal Khan, a mass communication student at Mardan’s Abdul Wali Khan University, was lynched to death by a mob on false accusations of blasphemy on April 13 last year. On February 8 this year, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Haripur had sentenced an accused, Imran, to death and five others to 25 years in jail. ATC Jugde Fazal Khan Subhan gave three year prison terms to 25 others, while the remaining were acquitted for want of evidence.
Earlier, a joint investigation team formed on Supreme Court of Pakistan’s directives had found that Mashal’s lynching was a pre-planned act, and false accusations of blasphemy were raised against him for the purpose. The team found that the student was targeted by faculty and students affiliated with a rival religious group because of his political views.
The report also revealed that officials from the university administration were involved in the murder.
Published in Daily Times, March 10th 2018.
