The nation is remembering Mashal Khan, a 23-year-old student, who was lynched by a mob of religious extremists in Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan five years ago today, on spurious blasphemy charges.

Mashal was brutally lynched by a mob on April 13, 2017, instigated by rumours that he had committed blasphemy by posting sacrilegious content online.

A 13-member joint investigation team (JIT) was formed to probe the case.

57 people were apprehended and on February 07, 2018, the ATC sentenced the prime suspect to death while five others to 25 years imprisonment in the case.

ATC  had acquitted 26 suspects and awarded three years of jail term to 25 other accused in the case.

Convict Imran, who was awarded capital punishment, was found guilty of firing shots at the victim student from his pistol.

He had also confessed to the crime before the court.

Read more: Mashal Khan Lynching: Twitter Mourns The Brutal Killing of Student Over blasphemy

Later in November 2020, Peshawar High Court (PHC) commuted the capital punishment awarded to the primary accused but maintained the convictions and jail terms handed down to 32 others.

In January 2022, The Supreme Court accepted for hearing a set of petitions by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government seeking to enhance the sentences of the convicts involved in the brutal lynching.

Former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s granddaughter Fatima Bhutto while remembering the slain said, “Five years ago shaheed Mashal Khan was lynched.”

Read more: Mashal Khan lynching: PHC reduces convicts death penalty to life in prison

She quoted Mashal’s father and further wrote on Twitter, “He was the kind of a person this society can never tolerate,” his father said. “You can call him a revolutionary, reformist, humanist, whatever, but he wasn’t a conservative person. My son was a voice of the voiceless.”

Five years ago shaheed Mashal Khan was lynched. “He was the kind of a person this society can never tolerate,” his father said. “You can call him a revolutionary, reformist, humanist, whatever, but he wasn’t a conservative person. My son was a voice of the voiceless.” pic.twitter.com/eNieKyhfTI

— fatima bhutto (@fbhutto) April 13, 2022

Social media also paid shining tribute to the courageous youth.

This very day, 5 years ago.

Rest in power, #MashalKhan pic.twitter.com/8kNbdVnPgA

— Yusra Askari (@YusraSAskari) April 13, 2022

May no father will ever suffer agony of seeing his son getting killed at the hands of religious mob.Our future, not only #MashalKhan is burried here.We can only stop digging graves for our youth by eroding religious extremism. Remembering Mashal Khan on his 5th death anniversary. pic.twitter.com/yX7aYnmR3I

— Arsam Rasul (@ArsamRasul) April 13, 2022

This country took at least 40 years of narrative building to create monsters like those who killed #MashalKhan. May your voice be heard and this world become a better place… Rest in power Mashal Khan. pic.twitter.com/BYdXgtDztV

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— Meena Gabeena (@gabeeno) April 13, 2022

Today marks the death anniversary of Mashal Khan.
His crime was that he challenged the administration of his university in this last interview and he was lynched under blasphemy.
What chance do we hold to hold establishment accountable?
The fight continues! #MashalKhan pic.twitter.com/8y4CyEhOhn

— Ali Raza (@alirazaoff) April 13, 2022

You are always loved and never forgotten.
Rest in power shaheed mashal khan.✊ pic.twitter.com/bc5VuIHCjC

— Saba Hyder (@SabaHyder1) April 13, 2022