Mardan Regional Police Officer (RPO) Alam Khan Shinwari submitted a report on the murder of Mashal Khan, a 23-year-old student who was attacked by a vigilante mob after being accused of blasphemy on April 13, to the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

According to the report, the administration of Abdul Wali Khan University — where Mashal was a student and where the incident took place — had not informed police about the incident but had only asked them to come to the campus.

The police were contacted at 12:52pm by university administration, the report said.

When Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Haider Khan arrived at the university campus, Abdullah, Mashal's friend who was also accused of blasphemy, was being attacked by the mob, the report said.

The DSP saved Abdullah from the enraged mob, it added.

Police have obtained CCTV footage of last week's incident and a record of the DSP's calling data, the report said, and have included university faculty and administration in its investigation.

Abdullah's testimony

The report submitted before the Supreme Court also included a written testimony from Abdullah, in which he alleged that university officials were involved in Mashal's murder.

A day earlier, Abdullah had voluntary contacted the police and recorded his testimony before a judicial magistrate.

In his testimony, Abdullah had denied all allegations of blasphemy against him.

Students who had accused Abdullah of blasphemy had tried to coerce him into testifying that Mashal had committed blasphemy but he had refused to do so, he claimed.

Abdullah in his testimony added that on the day of the incident, the university was conducting an inquiry into Mashal Khan regarding allegations of blasphemy.

Opinion

Editorial

Confused state
Updated 05 Jan, 2025

Confused state

WHEN it comes to combatting violent terrorism, the state’s efforts seem to be suffering from a lack of focus. The...
Born into hunger
05 Jan, 2025

Born into hunger

OVER 18.2 million children — 35 every minute — were born into hunger in 2024, with Pakistan accounting for 1.4m...
Tourism triumph
05 Jan, 2025

Tourism triumph

THE inclusion of Gilgit-Baltistan in CNN’s list of top 25 destinations to visit in 2025 is a proud moment for...
Falling temperatures
Updated 04 Jan, 2025

Falling temperatures

Vitally important for stakeholders to acknowledge, understand politicians can still challenge opposing parties’ narratives without also being in a constant state of war with each other.
Agriculture census
04 Jan, 2025

Agriculture census

ACCURATE information relating to agricultural activities is vital for data-driven future planning, policymaking, as...
Biometrics for kids
04 Jan, 2025

Biometrics for kids

ALTHOUGH the move has caused a panic among weary parents mortified at the thought of carting their children to Nadra...