Pakistan: Blasphemy and the Mashal Khan verdict

Mardan, Pakistan –  Closing April, Mashal Khan change into once lynched by dozens of fellow college college students.

The mob change into once spurred by rumours that the journalism student had in some way insulted Islam. Khan change into once stripped bare, overwhelmed, shot and thrown out of the 2nd ground window of his Abdul Wali Khan University dormitory in Khyber-Pakhtinkhwa province.

He change into once 23 years frail.

Dozens of parents contain been arrested after the incident and on Wednesday, a court docket sentenced one man to loss of life and five to existence in detention center. Every other 25 males contain been given three-yr detention center sentences and 26 others contain been let chase.

An estimated 200 folks contain been regarded as a fragment of the mob that attacked Khan.

A day after the ruling, Khan’s mom acknowledged the choice did now no longer reflect the gravity of the crime, nor did it chase far ample to accept as true with up for the anxiousness and suffering felt by her and her family.

« Each and every of his bones change into once broken and he change into once badly humiliated, » Syeda Gulzar Begum told Al Jazeera.

Begum acknowledged she is space to retain fighting for justice for her son’s brutal killing.

« He change into once now no longer one more person’s blood, this is why they can’t feel the anxiousness – I change into once his mom and I feel the anxiousness. [It is] the worst sing my family and I contain ever confronted, » she acknowledged.

Closing resting locations 

However even in loss of life – and despite a police investigation that found no evidence Khan had ever violated Pakistan’s blasphemy code – her son is now no longer edifying.

Khan change into once buried in a public graveyard, the set aside he lies below police protection ensuing from threats from non secular hardliners who contain acknowledged they contain to dig him up and burn his remains.

In Pakistan, this is a classic threat levied against folks accused of blasphemy or diversified non secular infractions.

Khan change into once laid to leisure in a dusty family space, next to a tobacco discipline attain his childhood home.

His relatives contain been fundraising to create a college in his title.

Albeit humble, Khan’s closing resting space has change into a landmark within the team, as folks attain to pay their respects.

However he change into once buried earlier than police cleared his title and almost no person attended his funeral.

In this plot, Khan’s story stands in engaging distinction to a shrine that change into once built within the capital, Islamabad, to honour Mumtaz Qadri.

In 2011, Qadri, a policeman, shot slow the sitting governor of Punjab province, whom he accused of blasphemy.

Qadri change into once hanged in 2016. His funeral change into once attended by tens of thousands, and loads detect him as a hero – a truth that illustrates the in trend public enhance that Pakistan’s blasphemy regulations composed revel in.

Launch wounds

Khan’s journalism professor and mentor acknowledged the country’s principles on blasphemy are an originate anxiousness that no person appears to be like in a position to healing.

« We’re reactive, we’re emotional and we mediate mostly in knee-jerk reactions, » Sheraz Paracha acknowledged.

Younger folks are moreover now no longer taught « to be tolerant in direction of folks of diversified races, in direction of folks of diversified faiths, in direction of folks of diversified origins », Paracha added.

« The thinking for the past forty years [in Pakistan] has been one dimensional, polarised; it is an us-versus-them roughly mentality. No us. »

Pakistan is a undeniable society, an ultra-conservative society the set aside folks set aside in strategies faith as a fragment of existence

Sheraz Paracha, journalism professor

Human rights groups recount the country’s blasphemy regulations are from a bygone generation and too without ache misused to pick private ratings.

There are solid arguments to abolish or now no longer less than reform the regulations, Paracha acknowledged. The law is now no longer basically the most productive sing, nevertheless.

« The authorities could possibly fair composed be definite that that no law could possibly fair composed be misused to specialise in a team … and the law could possibly fair composed be enforced somewhat, » he acknowledged.

Whereas a entire lot of the leaders Al Jazeera spoke to acknowledged they contain been in favour of conserving it on the books, they moreover acknowledge that it change into once being misused.

However alarm of being at the receiving live of the roughly mob justice that killed Khan – and has targeted others earlier than him – makes it nearly most unlikely for these in positions of vitality to even launch up discussing reforms to the blasphemy law.

Police response 

In the aftermath of Khan’s slay, some accused police of now no longer responding hasty ample. Others went extra and accused officers of facilitating the assault.

Alternatively, a police plentiful told Al Jazeera that police are reassessing their methodology to blasphemy instances.

« Committing blasphemy or now no longer is a separate sing, » acknowledged Mian Saeed, Mardan’s police chief.

« The principle thing is whether or now no longer we’re going to have the option to allow folks to preserve law into their hands and raze any person for committing any roughly a crime, so my solution is now no longer any.

« We is now no longer going to allow someone to preserve law into their hands and raze someone. »

Saeed defended the law, nevertheless, announcing that it helps prevent social anarchy.

The root that governments must help a watch on what folks recount about Islam is a classic argument frail to shield the blasphemy law.

However privately, many folks moreover admit the regulations produce now no longer are residing up to the spirit of Islam.

« No sane person, no law abiding person, no person believing in humanity, no person believing in any faith [would do something like this], » Paracha acknowledged, referring to Khan’s loss of life.

« We’re followers of Prophet Muhammad, who change into once in his existence accused, hit, targeted by his enemies. He by no manner did this to his enemies, so how could possibly we? »

Khan family reminiscences

Khan’s family, within the intervening time, has left his room untouched.

It appears to be like precisely the trend it did on the day he left home for the closing time: Footage of Khan and his chums hang on the wall next to academic medals and trophies, some of which would possibly possibly well be captioned with inspirational sayings.

« Come up for what you mediate in, even though it manner standing by myself, » one reads. « No racism, » one more says.

To his relatives, these are reminders of the roughly man he change into once.

« He change into once a humanist and change into once simplest standing up to corruption in his college and he change into once accused of blasphemy, » acknowledged Khan’s sister, Storiya Iqbal.

In its investigation, Pakistani police acknowledged college officials – whom Khan had publicly criticised for corruption and incompetence – conspired to accept as true with inaccurate allegations against him and rallied the mob that killed him.

« I’d expose the authorities to diminish these regulations. Because if we is now no longer going to abolish these principles and these regulations from [their] roots, I mediate that an increasing kind of Mashals will seemingly be killed in this world, » Iqbal acknowledged.

In the Khan family home, there could be both trouble and madden.

« My message to the realm is that my son did no longer accept as true with any mistake and there change into once no proof against him, » Khan’s mom acknowledged.

« So, without proof, why did he undergo this plot in Pakistan?

« I correct contain my utter … My minute one died with so noteworthy cruelty and I will’t even factor in that in Islam, [there could be] so noteworthy cruelty against somewhat one. This is now no longer primarily primarily based on Islam. »