The gruesome vigilante murder of Mashal Khan, 26, by his fellow students last Thursday – after he was accused of committing blasphemy – has once again brought into sharp focus the failure of Pakistan as a state.
Khan was a student of journalism at Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, 60 kilometers east of Peshawar. The incident occurred hours after a dormitory debate, following which allegations of blasphemy spread around the campus, prompting university officials to announce that three students, including Khan, were being investigated for “blasphemous activities”.
Blasphemy is taken seriously in Pakistan. The former military dictator, Gen Zia Ul Haq, introduced amendments prescribing life imprisonment or the death penalty for those who insult the Prophet Muhammad. Since 1992, the latter punishment has been the only option. At least 65 people have been murdered in Pakistan over blasphemy allegations since 1990 and today dozens languish in the country’s jails awaiting execution. In 2011, Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab, was gunned down by his own bodyguard, Mumtaz Qadri, when he suggested amendments be made to blasphemy ordinance. Qadri was hanged last year. His funeral was attended by tens of thousands of people and his grave has become a shrine. Full story...
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Khan was a student of journalism at Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, 60 kilometers east of Peshawar. The incident occurred hours after a dormitory debate, following which allegations of blasphemy spread around the campus, prompting university officials to announce that three students, including Khan, were being investigated for “blasphemous activities”.
Blasphemy is taken seriously in Pakistan. The former military dictator, Gen Zia Ul Haq, introduced amendments prescribing life imprisonment or the death penalty for those who insult the Prophet Muhammad. Since 1992, the latter punishment has been the only option. At least 65 people have been murdered in Pakistan over blasphemy allegations since 1990 and today dozens languish in the country’s jails awaiting execution. In 2011, Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab, was gunned down by his own bodyguard, Mumtaz Qadri, when he suggested amendments be made to blasphemy ordinance. Qadri was hanged last year. His funeral was attended by tens of thousands of people and his grave has become a shrine. Full story...
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