The killing has caused widespread outrage and has even led to calls to change the countrys strict Blasphemy Laws. Who was mashal khan and why was he murdered . Secunder kermani investigates. There are some upsetting scenes in this film which viewers may find disturbing. A horrific lynching captured on camera only university campus. The victim is a star student, mashal khan, who describes himself as a humanist. The mob, though, think he isa humanist. The mob, though, think he is a blasphemer. His attackers are his classmates, and Even University employees. This was mashal khan s room he tried to hide from the mob. They found him here. The kick in, they beat him, they hit him with sticks and they shot him. They were happy. When they were at record eating him, they were happy. Beating. The issue of blossoming has long provided Pakistani Society and some hope this case could finally lead to some reformed. Plus for me. Others are bitterly opposed to that. Deadly. This is the village of mashal khan, in the northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It is for his family still live. Zaida. They are trying to keep his room just as it was before his death. He was a big inspiration for you then . He was a big inspiration because he said, and he did a lot of work with me, and he said to me that he will get awards like me. You will. Supporters have composed poems and songs in mashals honour. That is normally reserved father, it can be ha rd to normally reserved father, it can be hard to listen to. Mashal spent a year studying in russia. The experience broadened his horizons. When he came back, he decided he wanted to become a journalist. Abdul Wali Khan University university is one of the newest with the Student Population over 12,000. It is over an hour weres away from mashal khans village. The campus has been closed since his murder. That is the Department Ofjournalism where he used to study and over there is the hostile that he lived in. And it is where he died. Mashal stood out here for his intelligence and his liberal views. He had plenty of close friends. That is mashal . That is mashal and this is me. Abdullah will also be accused of blasphemy and for him, and other journalism student. We were just gossiping. What was your First Impression of him . He is a kind of genius guide. It was it about him that made you think that . His thoughts. The way he spoke in the class and he used to read karl marx, he was a big fan of karl marx. Mashal would debate with more conservative students. He described himself as a muslim but also a liberal. Over time, himself as a muslim but also a liberal. Overtime, debate turned himself as a muslim but also a liberal. Over time, debate turned to threats. He used to discuss with religious fanatics, india neither but he used to discuss these things. What were they talk about . What were their discussions about . About islam, and religion. Did he ever think he should stop talking about is this . Yeah. Several times he told me but i think it couldnt. He was outspoken. He couldnt. Blasphemy is probably the most emotive topic in turkistan. It is legally punishable by death but no one has ever been executed for it but doesnt accused of it have been killed by mobs. In the lead up to mashals killing the authorities we re mashals killing the authorities were talking about banning all social media to prevent what they call blasphemous material being spread online and even after mashals death, pakistani telecoms authorities into this text message to all pakistanis, saying uploading and sharing laughter must content on the internet is a punishable offence under the law, such content should be reported for legal action. What critics say is this kind of message encourages a kind of vigilantism. Blasphemy allegations are often using pakistan as a way to settle personal feuds. Using pakistan as a way to settle personalfeuds. Mashals using pakistan as a way to settle personal feuds. Mashals father believes this video of him criticising alleged quip corruption in the university a few days before his death led to a conspiracy against him. Police has also collected evidence suggesting stu d e nts also collected evidence suggesting students jealous of mashals influence wanted him out of the university. It is hard to know what thatis university. It is hard to know what that is true. What we know is that most of those who took part in the violence did believe mashal was a blasphemer. I think at one time the notion or the thing of action in pakistan was if somebody wanted to get someone killed they would go and hire what we came to know as target killers, hitmen for hire, mercenaries. Now, just released a rumour that they have committed blasphemy and they will be killed. Dozens of mashals friends who appeared in the videos of the killings have been arrested. Some members of religious student organisations, others left wingers. We wa nt organisations, others left wingers. We want to understand what was behind their brutality. I have managed to get a hold of some of their statements to police. One of their statements to police. One of the statement is from one of mashals follow journalism students. In it, in this slightly bizarre language of the Pakistani Court system, he says he has long accused mashal of having nefarious and devilish designs as well as an anti islamic attitude. We are the about to meet his father. He is not accused of having beaten michelle but having it cites the attacks by accusing him of blasphemy in Front Ofa Group accusing him of blasphemy in front of a group of other students. Mark rutte for mashal. Mashal. His father is a retired university professor. He spent five years studying in dundee. Has he ever spoken to get about this oil mashal khan before . Yes, he told me this quy khan before . Yes, he told me this guy is talking about blasphemy. I told him tell your Department Chairman and ask him to settle the problem. He is adamant mashal was committing blasphemy and should have been expelled by the university. Nobody should commit blasphemy otherwise he will be hanged. But what will happen if somebody is reputedly doing this, saying this, and nobody is taking action, so who is responsible for this . Do you think mashal has some responsibility over his own death basically . Yes, he is responsible for his own death, i think so. Let my son blasphemy and if someone killed him . So he is responsible for this. The day of the lynching, it seems, began like any other. The three apparently had no idea what was about to happen. Mashal. A group of students demanded to see the lecturers, Accusing Mashal and two with his friends from having committed blasphemy. The first attacked friends that he was rescued by police. The mob began to swell in number, Chanting Slogans against mashal. Mashal was hiding in his hostel. Friends had warned him mob was after him. He began frantically calling and texting friends. We have seen some of his last messages. Mashal writes his friend asks then mashal never replied. The mob found him on the second floor of the hostel. This is his room. It is still in the same condition. It is kind of incredible. I came here the day after the murders and now over a month, nothing has changed. This room is in exactly the same mess but it was the day mashal died, down to what seems to be one of his last meals and its remnants lying there. The only thing that seems to have changed is that here, when i came the day after the murder, he had a post of che guevara in the post of karl marx and someone has written down. Ripped them down. These other bloodstains where it seems the authorities think that mashal was lined up against the wall and shot. At least two eyewitnesses that i have spoken to say after he was shot he was still alive and they try to carry his body back down the stairs to try and get him some help because after the shop had run out, the mob dispersed and they were able to try and rescue him. They told we that his last words that he said was he was reciting the muslim statement of faith, there is no god but all are and the harm it is his messenger and when i got to the bottom of the stairs, the mob had reassembled and they managed to grab his body back. From this point, mashals last moment captured on mobile phones. His fellow students beat him as he lay dying. The videos were instantly shared across pakistan. Their brutality and the brazen nature of the killings banknote attempt to disguise their identity shocked the nation. Mashal is eventually dragged outside, even long after he was dead, they continued beating his body. Police were present but were either unable or unwilling to stop them. Even more gathered, somejust to watch the spectacle, some to aim a kick or even spit on mashals body. They were saying that hit him. They were happy. When they were beating him, they were happy. After killing mashal, the mob gathered in celebration. Leading them is a local councillor from mainstream political party. Of the few remaining suspects still at large. 1 of. This body was eventually recovered by police and taken home to this family. Were still struggling to understand what led to the massive escalation of violence. Why did the students form a mob now and what exactly was it that they found so offensive . I was hoping that a document i had obtained, written by one of the accused, might give me a clue. We got hold of another letter, written to religious scholars, encouraging the killers of mashal. In it he goes into detail about the alleged blasphemy that mashal was committing. He spoke about one conversation in particular that he had with mashal about adam and eve in which mashal was saying why is incest forbidden in islam if the children of adam and eve would have had incestuous relationships with each other for mankind to exist . He is being held at the Centraljail A long with 50 others arrested for the murder. I got rarer access to the suspects. We spoke to wajahat and he said that on the day of the murder no one set out with the intention of killing mashal. They wanted to give him afew killing mashal. They wanted to give him a few slaps, hand him over to police and have him expelled from university. The jail, however, is full of other suspects and i spoke to someone involved in the physical violence, anotherjournalist to someone involved in the physical violence, another journalist student who shot mashal and has no regrets about what he did. He believes mashal khan deserved to die. Mashals killers have their sympathisers. This was a rallyjust weeks after the murder, calling mashal bluster ma. A blasphemer. It was addressed by a number of former mps, including this man, a leading localfigure in the islamist party. He was one of the clerics that wajahat sent his letter to from jail. | that wajahat sent his letter to from jail. I went to ask him about the supposedly blasphemous comments. The letter that wajahat wrote that you received as well said that adams children must have committed incest for the human race to evolve. Is that blasphemy, to raise that is the point . But using that was not a philosophical argument he was making . We are talking about whether mashal committed blasphemy or not. Many people around the world, it is irrelevant. No matter what he said, what ever he might or is alleged to have said, Nothing Canjustify killing someone, especially not in that way. 40 a0 days after mashals death, the family are hosting a come oration of his death. A Progressive Coalition is building around his memory. A few thousand turnout for the rally. The red caps belong to supporters of the local left wing political party. Others are just individuals wanting to show solidarity. None of the mainstream Political Parties i hear, but i pakistani standards, this is unprecedented, given the accusations. That is proclaimed him asa accusations. That is proclaimed him as a martyr. But the movement to an mashal is gathering enemies. Despite repeated announcements from the police the mashal had not committed blasphemy, this man is convinced that he did. And he is adamant there will be no change to the Blasphemy Laws. Some people would say, why do you even need a Blasphemy Law . Why would god or any of the profits be worried by somebody insulting them . Prophets. Even other religious scholars have come out in support of mashal and said the way he was killed was wrong and we have to guard against false accusations of blasphemy. But none of them, not even the secular parties, are really seriously considering or discussing reforming or abolishing the Blasphemy Laws because it is just such a sensitive topic here and they know there would be such popular resistance. That is what is so dangerous. These laws are actually, unlike extremist groups, they are popular here with ordinary people. The university has now reopened. Although some students told us they are trying to transfer, worried by its new reputation. The reopening of the university was a chance to meet a finely talk to the University Administration. Isnt it a failure of the university that its students held, or some of its students held such extreme views that they thought it was acceptable to lynch and kill someone . It is a failure of the university but it is a failure of the pakistani education system. It isa the pakistani education system. It is a failure of the pakistani social and political system and Pakistani Society as a whole. Wajahats father lives in the shadow was the jail that now houses his son. He is worried about the future of his son and of the country. Now we are becoming atheist, the people are free to make people atheist and what does that make pakistan . Do you think atheism is spreading in pakistan . I think it is because people like you and the media who are getting more and more attention to such atheistic views, of course it will grab the whole country. In the very near future. Because nobody will be safe. They will not be in safe hands. And we will lose our identity. There is still so many questions around mashals death. Could the police have done more . Would the University Administration . There are concerns that failings could be covered up. Well, saturday doesnt look bad at all across most of the uk. Were certainly in for some sunshine and some warm weather. There is a little bit of rainfall on the way in the north west, but it shouldnt be too heavy. Now, in the short term, actually a fair bit of cloud out there, and also some light, light rain. Asa as a bit of cloud out there in the short term. Some damp weather across east anglia to end the night. This is where we will have fresher weather very early on in the morning. In fact, weather very early on in the morning. Infact, in parts weather very early on in the morning. In fact, in parts of northern ireland, perhaps even in rural areas they will have grass frost. Most are riches in towns and cities will reach from ten to 1a degrees. Lets look at the weather across Northern Areas first of all. This is first thing in the morning across scotland, looking absolutely fine. The thunder should be out and the clouds are increasing in the Western Isles and weather heading towards stornoway. Dry in belfast at nine in the morning and notice apart from the Western Fringes of wales here and cornwall, there is cloud around england and wales but mostly thin cloud across england and wales. But it will be mostly thin cloud, and through the morning, into the afternoon, those clouds will be breaking up, and we really are in for a decent day. And see the sunshine there developing as that shade melts away. But at the same time weve also got a Weather Front getting into scotland and northern ireland, so around the middle of the afternoon i think there will be spots of rain in belfast, possibly glasgow too. So here, coolest around 15 17 degrees, but where the sun comes out for any lengthy period of time there across england it should get up to around 20 degrees, maybe even 2a in london. How are we doing compared to the rest of europe . Well, temperatures similar across the heart of europe, but incredibly hot across the south east of europe. In athens, for example, a3 degrees there for some of our holidaymakers. So that is europe. Back to the uk, so this is saturday night. Now, that damp weather in the north west that i talked about will be moving southwards during the course of the early hours of sunday. So that means that, early on sunday morning, there could be some damp weather across east anglia, the south east, but it should clear out of the way, and then basically were left over with a very decent sunday once again, with some sunny spells. A little bit fresher, low 20s in london, around 16 in glasgow, but theres also some showers in the forecast there for northern scotland. And then, sunday into monday, weatherfronts are moving in, so there is a little bit of rain in the forecast for early in the week. But its the weekend, so lets look at the weekend summary, then. Its not looking bad at all. A lot of dry weather, there will be some sunny spells, and its going to feel pleasantly warm. Welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in North America and around the globe. Im reged ahmad. 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