Seven suspects confess to Mashal’s murder before police: sources

MARDAN: Seven suspects in the lynching of Mashal Khan confessed before the police on Wednesday, sources privy to the developments said.

According to the sources, all of these seven suspects were presented before an anti-terrorism court today.

The court gave a go-ahead for their confessional statements to be recorded. The suspects would now appear before a civil court to record their statements before the judges, the sources added.

Earlier today, two more students of Abdul Wali Khan University were arrested from Sardheri, Charsadda after a video emerged on Tuesday showing the mob vowing not to reveal the name of Mashal’s shooter following the horrific lynching on April 13.

The newly arrested students have been identified as Ishaq and Tariq.

Read: Video surfaces showing mob vowing not to reveal name of Mashal Khan’s shooter

On Monday, a suspect named Wajahat confessed in a statement recorded before the magistrate 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.”

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

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. He said he had testified against Mashal and two other students but the situation got out of hand when security in-charge Bilal Baksh came to the meeting and warned that “anyone taking the side of Mashal and his comrades would be dealt with iron hands.”