HARIPUR: Four more prosecution witnesses testified in the Anti-Terrorism Court Abbottabad, which resumed hearing the Mashal Khan lynching case here on Wednesday.

Prosecution counsel Advocate Sardar Abdul Rauf Khan told Dawn that four official witnesses, including Dr Faheem Qaisr, the medical officer who conducted the autopsy of Mashal Khan’s body, constable Mohammad Ilyas, the official photographer of Mardan police, Mian Shakil and Taj Mohammad, also police personnel, recorded their evidences before the court presided over by judge Fazale Subhan Khan.

The defence counsel -- Fazle Haq Abbasi, Masood Azhar, Malik Amjad and Ashfaq Lodhi -- cross-examined the official witnesses. The court was adjourned till Thursday (today).

According to prosecution counsel, a total of 31 prosecution witnesses have so far testified against the accused.

The case was transferred to Haripur Central Jail on the request of Mohammad Iqbal, the father of Mashal Khan, and the ATC held its first hearing in Haripur jail on Sept 19 when all the 57 arrested accused were formally indicted.

TEACHERS’ STRIKE CONTINUES: Academic activities in all the government colleges of Haripur remained suspended for second consecutive day as teaching staff continued strike on Wednesday.

While rejecting the proposed Education Act, 2017 that the PTI government plans to introduce, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Professors and Lecturers Association had given a strike call for indefinite period.

The teaching staff of all the six women and four boys colleges observed complete strike for the second day, suspending academic activities.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2017