Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Inspector General of Police Salahuddin Khan on Thursday informed the provincial government that demands pertaining to the Mashal Khan murder case made by his father can be accepted as per law.

Terming the Mashal murder case as one of "national importance and ramification", the IGP in a letter to the KP government, recommended accepting Mashal's father, Muhammad Iqbal's demand for the appointment of private prosecution counsel.

Concerning Iqbal's demand for transfer of the case, he said that Swabi and Mardan police have been directed to "remain extremely cognisant of the security of Mr Iqbal and his family".

"However, keeping in view the ramifications of the case, it is proposed that issue of transfer of the case to a trial court in Peshawar may also be taken up with the Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court, if deemed appropriate," the IGP said.

"It is requested that Law and Finance Departments may be approached for engagement of private counsel for the prosecution of the Mashal Khan murder case at the state's expense," he added.

Earlier this week, Muhammad Iqbal had requested in a press conference that his son's case be transferred to a court outside Mardan alleging that 'influential adversaries' may pose possible hurdles to proceedings.

Subsequently, he filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the government's financial and administrative help for relocation of his daughters and himself to Islamabad in light of alleged security threats in KP and the family's hometown of Swabi.

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