PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak informed the provincial assembly on Friday that the government had decided to conduct a judicial inquiry into the lynching of a student at Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, on Thursday.

During a session chaired by Deputy Speaker Dr Mahar Taj Roghani, the chief minister was responding to criticism by lawmakers who condemned Mashal Khan`s brutal death at the hands of a mob of students merely on an allegation of blasphemy.

`The government has already decided to conduct a judicial inquiry into this heinous crime,` he said, adding that such an incident should not have occurred and the government was worried about it.

`Since the occurrence of the incident, I am in contact with the IGP and so far no evidence has emerged to show that blasphemy was committed by the victim,` he said, adding that such brutality would not be tolerated.

The mobile phone record of the victim has been checked by the police but there was nothing against Islam, he said.

The debate on the gory incident was initiated by the parliamentaryleader of the Awami National Party, Sardar Hussain Babak, who said, `the 1(illing of the student is extreme brutality.

What message has been conveyed to the world through this brutal murder, he asked. The world would take impression that there was no law, no courts or institutions in this country, rather mobs had the power to carry out executions, he said. `It is a matter of serious concern that one person kills other just on disagreement on some issue.

The ANP leader said that Islam, the Prophet (PBUH) and Holy Quran didn`t allow anyone to kill a person on allegation of blasphemy and called upon the government to conduct judicial inquiry into the incident.

The video shared on social media showed how Mashal Khan was lynched, he said. `Even an animal is not killed with such brutality.

Religious fanaticism was getting strengthened and it would lead the country to darkness,he said.

Nighat Orakzai of the Pakistan Peoples Party said that Thursday was a black day in the history of Pakistan.

She asked the government to take strict action against the university administration and police which miserably failed to rescue the victim. She also called for an inquiryintotheincidentthrougha judicial commission.

Aurangzaib Nalotha of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz said that besides ofhcials of the police and university administration, adviser to the chief minister on higher education Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani should also be suspended.