NA unanimously condemns Mashal’s murder

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Khursheed Shah on Tuesday called on lawmakers to present a united front against the “barbaric” lynching of Mardan university student Mashal Khan, while MNAs passed a unanimous resolution condemning the incident.

The resolution called for effective measures to ensure that the blasphemy law is not misused, including the imposition of “strong safeguards” into the blasphemy law “to prevent its abuse through such atrocities in the future including by mobs involved in such crimes”, read the resolution.

Lawmakers also demanded that the federal and provincial governments take strict action against the perpetrators and facilitators of the lynching, including those propagating hate speech.

“This House condemns all those who take the law into their own hands and engage in vigilantism, resulting in loss of innocent human lives,” the resolution read.

Shah, prior to the tabling of the resolution, criticised the government’s ‘failure’, noting that members of the federal government were not ready to issue statements in the Mashal Khan case.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s condemnation of the lynching had come two days after the horrific incident.

“The parliament should stand united and present a unanimous front against a barbaric act like this,” Shah asserted. “It is the government and the opposition’s responsibility to be united in the effort to save the country.”

Source: Dawn