Mashal lynching suspect confesses, says acted on university administration’s directions

MARDAN: Wajahat, a suspect in the lynching of Mashal Khan confessed in a statement recorded before the magistrate here on Monday and placed blame on the administration of the university.

In the statement available with Geo.tv, Wajahat said he acted against Mashal on directions from the administration of Abdul Wali Khan University and had been called by class representative Mudassir Bashir to the chairman’s office on April 13. “I proceeded to chairman’s office where 15-20 people including officials of administration were present. Lecturer Zia Ullah Hamdard, Lecturer Asfandiyar, Lecturer Anees, superintended Arshad, clerk Saeed and Idress etc were part of the congress.”

Wajahat claimed the administration had called the meeting to decide the case of Mashal Khan and Mudashir Bashir had called him to be a witness. According to Wajahat if he had knowledge of the conspiracy he would not have come to the university that day.

The suspect said he testified against the three students but the situation got out of hand when security in-charge Bilal Baksh came to meeting and warned “that anyone taking the side of Mashal and his comrades would be dealt with iron hands.” Wajahat added that Bilal stated he would kill Mashal. Following Bilal’s statement the sitting congress turned into a violent mob and rushed towards the hostel.

Wajahat further said that if he had not stated against them (Mashal, Zubair, Abdullah) the mob might have dispersed, adding that liability of the university administration was much greater than his. “They did not have the mandate to convene such a meeting. They were supposed to have informed the police.”

Earlier, Abdullah the student who was injured by the mob also recorded his statement before the magistrate. In his statement, Abdullah claimed that prior to the murder of Mashal Khan, the administration of the university was ‘deadly’ against him because he was critical of loopholes in the system. “He [Mashal] had also given an interview to AVT Khyber disclosing and unleashing the aggression and hostility of university administration.”

“Mashal Khan criticised the administration for misusing the authority and not providing the best services to students especially the under-privileged.”

Abdullah said that on April 13 at 11 AM, he received a phone call from a friend, who he said was conspirator, asking him to come to the journalism department. In the statement, Abdullah claimed the actual perpetrator, who was the class representative, along with other students blamed him, Mashal and Zubair of committing blasphemy.

“I bluntly refused the despicable allegations and then recited Kalma in front of them and also translated the same in both languages, Urdu and Pushto. After hearing the Kalma from my mouth, they forced me to give a deposition that Mashal Khan had committed blasphemy but I refused as I have never heard any scandalous or blasphemous words by Mashal.”

Abdullah stated that during the course of the events he was shut in the bathroom of the Chairman Office by teachers in fear that he might be assaulted.

Abdullah added that he was also put in the clerk office earlier. According to him, teachers had gathered in the Chairman Office and were trying to resolve the dispute but a mob had gathered.

“By then, Mashal was reportedly in the hostel and I was personally unaware of his status.”

Abdullah said he was saved by the police when the angry mob was assaulting him in the Chairman Office bathroom. “Some of the students who knew from close quarters and were satisfied that I was innocent also rescued me.”

Abdullah added that he was in the custody of the police and hospitalised when he heard the news that Mashal Khan had been brutally murdered by the angry mob as well as officials of the administration.