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Yesterday Mashal Khan, a 23-year-old student from the Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, Pakistan, was killed by vigilantes; another student was seriously injured. The incident, which occurred within the university premises, took place on the basis of “publishing blasphemy content online,” said the local police. The campus was closed until further notice and its student houses were emptied to avoid further escalation of violence. At least 59 people have been arrested in connection with the incident since Thursday evening, according to Mardan Police Director Mian Saeed.

No complaint had been filed against the two students before the accident, therefore there was no open police investigation. The crowd seems to have been incited by rumors circulating among the students.

“The police were not able to control the situation,” said university administration official Fayaz Ali Shah, confirming that Mashal was killed on the basis of alleged blasphemy. He added that more than 20 officers arrived at the scene, but were unable to control the situation because there were too many students involved [Dawn].

A few months ago, some Pakistani activists accused of blasphemy, had disappeared. Fortunately, they have been found and been helped to leave the country thanks to human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Instances like this one are proving that Pakistan is becoming a society in which students turn into murderers.

I spent all last night browsing Mashal Khan’s Facebook page, scrolling through his photos. He was a handsome young man, he smiled in every picture, he had his whole life ahead of him. He was studying journalism, he was impatient to finish school and start working, he wanted to become a professional journalist. He loved to share his ideas and spoke of a secular Pakistan, which was precisely his biggest fault.

In Pakistan the word secularism is considered a threat to Islam. And those who speak of it risk their lives, because the word is interpreted in a wrong way and even becomes blasphemous when suggesting to convert Pakistan from an Islamic state to a secular state. Fundamentalists are always prepared to kill people on allegation of blasphemy, as they do not even need proof of guilt.

Blasphemy law is a weapon used to slay people in order to pursue one’s own interests, and especially used against minorities. The Pakistani penal code prohibits blasphemy against any recognized religion, the penalties range from a minor fine to death. From 1987 to 2014 over 1300 people were accused of blasphemy, which in most cases were against the Islamic religion. Over 62 people accused of blasphemy were killed before their trials were over. Those who opposed the blasphemy law were murdered. Since 1990, 66 people have been killed following a death sentence for blasphemy in Pakistan.

Wajahat Abbas Kazmi
translation by Barbara Burgio
©2017 Il Grande Colibrì

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