A Pakistan court is set to announce its verdict in the lynching of a student, Mashal Khan, who was accused of blasphemy.
Mashal, a student of Mass Communications at the Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was beaten and shot to death by an angry mob on April 13, 2017, reports Dawn news.
The lynching took place within the university premises and was recorded on video which was later circulated on social media.
Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Jugde Fazal Khan Subhan is expected to announce a short verdict in the heavily guarded Haripur jail in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa.
Extra security arrangements have been made due to the sensitivity of the case with roads leading to jail being closed. The prison administration has also banned the entry of visitors.
“It is expected that a large number of relatives, friends, family members and supporters will gather outside the Haripur jail,” a police official told Dawn.
The family and lawyers of Iqbal Khan, Mashal’s father, are hopeful that they would get justice.
“The case is very strong. Police have provided strong proofs including videos of the incident,” Fazl Khan, Iqbal’s lawyer told Dawn.
The brutal incident shocked the nation and sparked a debate over the misuse of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan.