Mashal Khan – Another victim of Pakistan’s blasphemy vigilantism
- In Politics
- 01:53 PM, Apr 22, 2017
- Ranabir Bhattacharyya
In the journey from being an Islamic state to a Muslim-only-state, Pakistan witnessed yet another horror show a week back when Mashal Khan, a young journalism student at Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan was lynched to death by a large group of students for allegedly committing ‘blasphemy against Islam’. This hasn’t been the first case as such in Pakistan, as numerous other incidents of sudden disappearance of online bloggers or murder in the daylight in the name of blasphemy against Islam. The heinous murder of Mashal Khan by students who went inside the university hotel even when the gate was locked by the concerned warden speaks volumes of the growing Islamic intolerance in Pakistan.
Incidentally Mashal Khan didn’t say anything against Prophet Mohammad nor questioned the very existence of the Prophet. Rather, his friends and relatives have referred him to be a person who has been ‘curious’ about religion. To some extent, he probably had Marxist inclinations as his hostel room had the posters of Karl Marx and Che Guevara. From his Facebook posts and discussions at various platforms suggest that Mashal Khan was more against the existing political structure of Pakistan and the orthodox approach which has been followed since the time of the ‘great’ Quaid-E-Azam aka Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
The worst part of the whole incident is the humiliation that Mashal Khan witnessed minutes before his death. Not only were gunshots fired at Mashal, but the bloodthirsty mob didn’t even give him a chance him to sit up. His lifeless body wasn’t spared there. There were torture marks on his body as the angry mob kicked and jumped on his dead body, people beating him with sticks…a scene which reigniting the horror of the notorious ISIS terrorists. The ‘silence’ of more than 20 policemen at the spot is so symbolic, and rather gives a gentle reminder of Pakistan’s reality.
Whether justice will be served to Mashal's family is a big question, at least in a country like Pakistan where blasphemy stands out as a bigger issue than poverty, malnutrition or illiteracy. Although Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has affirmed of strict action, his party in power in the state is also culpable of the gross violation of human rights. The Chief Justice has already directed the local police to submit a progress report on the ongoing investigation on this matter. From various close quarters it has also come to the forefront that the angry mob was of the opinion that Mashal Khan supported the Ahmadi faith. Incidentally Ahmadis and Hazaras are in dire state in Sunni dominated Pakistan. Is Pakistan doing enough for the Islamic minorities? Leave the case of Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians living in Pakistan! Be it Asia Bibi, Salman Taseer and so many other people in Pakistan have been victims of the controversial blasphemy law in Pakistan. Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has condemned the murder saying, “We have forgotten our religion, values and dignity."
Alas! Pakistan probably doesn’t deserve a young bright student as Mashal Khan who wanted to ‘be curious, crazy and mad’ and was brutally murdered on 13th April. There is no denying the doubt that Talibanisation of Islam in Pakistan is coming to a full circle and neither humanists nor minorities have their stake in Quaid-E-Azam's idea of ‘Pakistan’.
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