ATC hands life sentence to PTI councillor, another in Mashal Khan case

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) handed on Wednesday two accused life imprisonment and acquitted two others in the Mashal Khan lynching case.

Judge Mahmoodul Hassan Khattak announced the verdict and handed life sentences to Asad and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf councillor Arif Khan. The two suspects who acquitted are Sabir and Izhar, local media reported.

All the four accused had been absconding the case proceedings and later on surrendered themselves to the court last year in June. On March 12, the judge had reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from both sides. At least 46 witnesses have recorded their statements in court.

Mashal, a 23-year-old student of Mass Communication and media studies at the Abdul Wali Khan University, was lynched by a mob on April 13, 2017 after blasphemy allegations. The video of his murder, which circulated on social media, was also presented as evidence in front of the court.

Last year in February, an anti-terrorism (ATC) court had announced its verdict after the case proceedings went over the course of five months. Special Judge ATC Fazal-e-Subhan Khan had sentenced one of the accused Imran Ali to death, while sending five suspects to prison for 25 years.