Mashal, a journalism student at Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, was brutally lynched to death by a violent mob on April 13-Facebook

ABBOTTABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) is hearing the Mashal Khan murder case at the Central Jail Haripur, where the accused are being held, amid strict security measures.

Up till now, cross-examination of 29 witnesses has been completed in the case being heard by ATC Judge Fazal Subhan.

Mashal, a journalism student at Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, was brutally lynched to death by a violent mob on April 13, which had accused him of blasphemy.

The ATC had on Septemeber 19 indicted 57 suspects in the case and had rejected the bail applications of 17 accused in the case.

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Earlier, when the hearing of Mashal Khan case was started in Mardan, the petitioner Iqbal Khan and provincial government had requested the court to move the case from Mardan for fear of law and order situation.

At that time, Iqbal Khan had also disclosed that families of accused were pressurising him and he was afraid a fair trial may not take place.

On July 27, two members of Peshawar High Court (PHC) bench ordered to move the case to ATC Abbottabad and shifted the accused to Central Jail Haripur.